5 Must-Have Holiday Wines & Chocolate Partners

By Cal Orey,

The Writing Gourmet

In my latest book The Healing Powers of Chocolate Kensington, 2010), I dish out health perks of red wine and dark chocolate. While I do not drink (perhaps that'll change in 2011 and definitely 2012 before the end of days), I do know that red wine is good for you and is included in the Mediterranean diet.
Wine guru Anita L. LaRaia, author of Pick a Perfect Wine in No Time, knows the perks of wine, and chocolate, too. In a nutshell, it's the double dose of good for you disease-fighting and anti-aging antioxidants from dark chocolate and red wine that make it all good. Here is an excerpt from my chocolate book on some wine and chocolate marriages made in heaven (and I include an entire chapter on this topic) ...

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*Blane de Norie-Sparkling Wine: Vosages Barcelona Bar--41 percent cacao; deep milk chocolate with hickory-smoked almonds and grey sea salt.

* Zinfandel (California): "Zinfandel is a good match for semi-sweet dark choclate--and there is a sweet Zinfandel chocolate port that's made as a chocolate sauce for pouring over ice cream, or for dipping strawberries," notes the wine wizard.

* Malbec: LaRaia recommends teaming Malbec with a seven-layer chocolate cake, which will provide a touch of elegance.

* Pedro Ximenez, Sweet Dessert Wine, Montilla, Spain: The wine gal advises pairing this wine with a bittersweet chocolate mousse cake.

* Ruby or Vintage Porto: And last but not least in this mini wine and chocolate menu selection is a sweet red, high 20 percent alcohol dessert wine from Portugal. Porto is a perfect partner with chocolate cheesecake or chocolate pecan pie.

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