Valentine’s is just around the corner and it is time to plan the perfect date with the perfect gift.
Love is different for all– like fingerprints. And so your dates have to be special. You set a table with red satin cloth, a heart-shaped chocolate box rests on top, candles are lighting your dark room, rose petals everywhere on the floor, a drink of choice—champagne because today is a celebration. You pick a crystal glass and pour in the champagne, let it sparkle in the candlelight, bubbles fizzing up looking like glitter. Your partner takes a sip, picks the spicy kebab from their plate, takes a bite and–
Woah, back up. Kebab? Spicy kebab? No, you didn’t. You cannot pair spicy food with champagne! It is a no-go. Want to know what the best pairing with champagne is? You’ve come to the right place.
Chocolates with champagne can prove to be the worst food pairing, if not done right, so you have to be careful. You have to know what kind of chocolate to pick with what kind of champagne, and at Epicurean Traders, we provide a premium collection of chocolates and champagnes and this guide to pick the right ones.
Why Chocolate and Champagne Are a Match Made in Heaven
The movie Pretty Woman (1990) features a scene where Vivian (Julia Roberts) tries Moët & Chandon champagne and Edward (Richard Gere) suggests pairing it with a strawberry. This scene is an important moment in the movie, as it introduces Vivian to the finer things in life. Pairing the right food with drinks has science behind it. The bubbles in champagne deliver aromatics and a fresh palate-cleansing sensation and if you pair it with the right food, it can do wonders. Since we are talking about perfecting your date on Valentine’s day, then let’s stick to chocolates. Chocolates when combined with champagne enhances its flavor. The balance of sweetness of the chocolate and acidity of champagne makes this pairing harmonious. The elegant, celebratory and so very romantic nature of these two things makes it the ideal duo for a luxurious and fabulous Valentine’s Day.
How to Choose the Perfect Chocolate for Champagne
You have to be very careful while choosing the right kind of chocolate with the right champagne. The mix of the wrong flavors can also very easily be turned into a disaster so you have to educate yourself on what goes with what. There are mainly three kinds of chocolates and each kind goes with a different kind of champagne:
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Dark chocolate: Bold and bittersweet– the one when you bite into rushes to you with its strong astringent flavor and intense bitterness of the cacao fills your mouth. These chocolates are perfect for brut champagne.
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Milk chocolate: Creamy and sweetness of milk chocolate with vanilla, caramel, and aroma of milk is ideal for rosé champagne.
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White chocolate: Subtle and rich with a buttery and milky sweet taste of a white chocolates pairs well with sweet champagnes like demi-sec.
To make it easier, remember how to match the intensities between the chocolate and the champagne. The lighter champagnes go with delicate chocolates and the robust champagnes with the darker richer more intense flavored chocolates. And if you and your partner(s) are true foodies, then have a foodies’ Valentine’s Day by experimenting your champagne and food pairings with fillings and flavors like the famous Dubai Chocolates stuffed with pistachio nuts and aromatic pistachio nougat, or the popularly loved salted caramel or fruit-infused chocolates.
Selecting the Right Champagne
We have spoken enough about the right chocolate with the right kind of champagne but one should know their drink well before having to choose what goes with it. There are mainly three kinds of champagne– Brut, Rosé and Demi-Sec.
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Brut: This champagne has very little sugar, is dry and crisp, and complements dark and milk chocolates.
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Rosé: It is unique in that it is the only rosé in the old world that is allowed to be made by mixing red and white wines, as opposed to the normal method of using dark-skinned grapes and macerating them for a short period. Fruity and vibrant flavor pairs beautifully with milk chocolate and berry-infused chocolates.
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Demi-Sec: It is sweet and indulgent with 33-50 g/l sugar and perfect for white chocolate.
Some important tips for choosing quality champagne are to look for champagnes with complex flavor profiles for a gourmet experience. At Epicurean Traders we have curated a selection of champagne for every taste. From Brut to Demi-Sec, we have everything.
How to Create a Memorable Chocolate and Champagne Experience
We have finally understood how important it is to pair food with our drinks. But it is equally important to know how to make this experience magical by learning how to serve and serve. Some important pairing and serving tips are:
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Serve chocolates at room temperature for optimal flavor: a chocolate, if too hard can only be painful to someone’s teeth but also gives very little flavor for you to enjoy fully.
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Always chill your champagne to the perfect serving temperature (around 45°F). It is the only right way to do it.
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Serve smaller portions to savor the pairing experience.
Now, picture this: a dimly lit candle-lit room, with the same red satin cloth on the table held in place with the elegant serving ware, a rose bouquet as the centerpiece and soft music playing in the background. A chilled bottle of champagne with glasses rests on top of the same table, but this time, you pair your drink with a creamy, rich, delicious chocolate. Doesn’t it sound magical?
Why Epicurean Traders Is Your Go-To for Valentine’s Day Pairings
It can be too much of a hassle to go about and around to different stores to get the food, the chocolates, the champagne, the roses, candles, the gift– everything, which is why we would like to take some load off of your shoulders and introduce you to our premium selection of chocolates and champagnes. We have curated a collection of artisanal chocolates and quality champagnes– from Andre Clouet - Brut Rose Champagne to Pierre Moncuit - Extra Brut Champagne. Along with this, we have ready-to-go gift baskets which are like a hug in a basket and is made with tonnes of love for gifting your loved ones, and pairing suggestions like gourmet baked goods for trying out and discovering new premium food champagne pairings. With Epicurean Traders, discover the ultimate Valentine’s Day pairings.
Celebrate love and have the most magical and romantic Valentine’s Day date with the ultimate chocolate-champagne pairing this February. Elevate your celebration with Epicurean Trader– your one-stop solution for all things Valentines’ and grab our premium chocolate and champagne offerings. This Valentine’s Day, toast to love with the perfect pairing of chocolate and champagne!
