Dessert

Chocolate desserts

The rule that matters: the wine has to be sweeter than the dessert, or it tastes thin beside it.

Sweet fortified

Classic

Sweet fortified wines with spirit warmth, dried fruit, and long finish.

A wine must be sweeter than the dessert or it tastes thin; fortified sweetness and dried fruit meet chocolate's intensity.

Try

Serve 12–16 °C

Adventurous

Powerful dry reds made from partially dried grapes, high in alcohol and depth.

A dry wine this concentrated can meet dark chocolate's bitterness, though the pairing works only when the chocolate is bitter rather than sweet.

Try

Serve 16–18 °C

Pairing suggestions are editorial, drawn from established convention rather than measurement.