February 14th. Valentine's Day , which comes once a year, is an exciting day for both men and women.
The classic Valentine's Day gift is chocolate .
However, there are probably some people who want to give something different from the usual. In that case, how about giving wine as a gift?
In this article, we will introduce how to choose the perfect wine gift for Valentine's Day and recommend some wines.
In addition, we also tested what type of wine goes well with chocolate , the main attraction of Valentine's Day!
What kind of wine would make someone happy?
What should you pay attention to when choosing wine?
Does wine go well with chocolate?
We will answer your questions about giving wine on Valentine's Day and pairing wine with chocolate.
I'm also really interested in the combination of chocolate and wine!
Yes! I actually tried it and there were some things that surprised me.
I think a Valentine's Day with wine would be wonderful.
[Characters in this article]
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Nacchan (Wine beginner)
This Valentine's Day, I'm planning to give my boyfriend wine instead of chocolate.
-
Makiko (Editorial staff member)
Having a drink every evening is a blissful time for me. I have always wondered about the compatibility between wine and chocolate.
-
Yui (Editorial staff member)
A woman in her 30s whose hobbies are traveling and eating out, and who has a particular weakness for sweets.
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Iwasu (New Zealand wine-loving sommelier who oversees this site)
The bar he runs in Nagoya offers a wide selection of New Zealand wines.
It also helps to avoid monotony. Try giving wine as a gift this year!
If you're having trouble choosing a Valentine's Day gift, we recommend wine!
The recommended points are as follows:
- Eating chocolate every year can get monotonous.
Wine is less likely to be the same as someone else's, making it easier to remember. - If your man likes alcohol, he'll be delighted to receive a gift of wine!
- In fact... it goes well with chocolate too, depending on the combination.
- If you pay attention to the label and vintage (year of grape harvest), you can also convey a message.
Speaking of Valentine's Day, "chocolate" is a classic. It's easy to choose a gift, but on the other hand, it has the disadvantage of not being very surprising... In that case, if the person you're giving it to is someone who likes alcohol, then alcohol will surely be a memorable gift. It's also recommended as a gift for people who don't like sweet things .
And among those who like alcohol, if they "occasionally drink wine" or "often drink wine," then wine as a Valentine's gift is sure to be a welcome one.
Furthermore, wine and chocolate go well together if you combine them in the right way, so we highly recommend giving a gift set of chocolate and wine ! (We will introduce some examples of good combinations later.)
Wine is an alcoholic drink that has many elements that make it ideal for a gift. If you know the recipient's food preferences, you can give them a wine that matches them, and by using creative labeling and the vintage of the grapes, you can include a message that you might find difficult to say to the recipient directly!
My boyfriend doesn't like sweet things either... I was a little worried about what to give him this year.
Wine might be good for two people to drink together.
What? It's a present, but Nacchan is going to drink it with us? That's pretty sneaky (lol)
But it would also be nice to toast together with the wine you gave them!
How do you choose a wine gift that will look good?
- We recommend a half bottle of champagne !
- Give a gift of wine that goes well with chocolate
- However, it is most important to know the recipient's preferences before giving a gift.
Champagne is a classic wine gift, not just for Valentine's Day.
It is gorgeous and goes well with any dish, and also goes well with chocolate. It is well-known, and you can casually tell that it is not cheap, so it is also suitable as a gift for people who are not familiar with wine.
Among all these champagnes, we recommend the 375ml "half bottle" size .
This is the amount that someone who is not too tolerant of alcohol can drink in one night. It is also perfect for people living alone.
That's true! It's easy on the giver's wallet, and the recipient can have fun too, since it's a single-serving size.
▶ Champagne Half Bottle Rakuten Ichiba
We also recommend giving a set of chocolate and a wine that goes well with it .
But in any case, when it comes to wine, it's most important to know the preferences of the person you're giving the gift to .
I think it's a good idea to research the recipient's preferences beforehand and then choose a wine. When giving a present, the time you spend thinking about the recipient and choosing the wine is also part of the gift.
I also think it's important to give wine to people who seem to have even the slightest interest in wine .
Things to be careful of to avoid failure
Basically, there is nothing that is bad about the "Valentine's Day x Wine" scene. However, for those who are worried, here are a few points to keep in mind.
- Be careful with sweet wines , as some people don't like them. (There are surprisingly many people who think that dry alcohol is the best.)
- Think before giving expensive or aged wine to someone who doesn't have the proper wine storage environment !
Sommeliers and other wine professionals often recommend "sweet wines" as a wine that goes well with chocolate. However, sweet wines are also a matter of love or hate. There are also many people who only drink dry alcohol. Therefore, it's a good idea to casually research the other person's preferences before choosing .
Also, be careful when you splurge a little and give a high-end wine or a type of wine that can be aged for a long time as a gift. It's fine if the recipient drinks it right away, but there are also many cases where the recipient leaves it for years , thinking, "I'll save it for someday," because it's "high -end." This is very dangerous.
Wine is sensitive to temperature changes, so if you store it in a high-temperature environment like in the Japanese summer, the quality may deteriorate. If that continues for years, the risk becomes quite high.
If you are able to do some research, it's a good idea to find out whether the other person's home has a good storage environment (whether they have a wine cellar).
If you know that the person doesn't have a wine cellar, you might want to add a comment like, "Please drink it quickly."
The classic Valentine's Day wine is the sweet Banyuls
In the wine industry, there is actually a classic wine that goes well with chocolate.
What! There's a wine like that?! I'm intrigued~♡
It's a sweet French wine called "Banyuls." It's very rich and goes perfectly with chocolate.
What kind of wine is Banyuls?
Banyuls is a very rich, sweet wine.
M. Chapoutier Banyuls 2017
If I were to try to explain this wine in detail, I would end up using a lot of difficult technical terms, but I will give a rough and simple explanation.
"Banyuls" refers to the region in the southern part of the Roussillon region of France, which also borders Spain, or the wine produced there. In Banyuls, only naturally sweet wines are allowed under French wine law, AOC .
There are several ways to make sweet wine, but Banyuls is unique in that it is made using a method called "fortification," which involves adding alcohol during the brewing process.
Why do you add alcohol halfway through?
This is to prevent the sugar in the grapes from being reduced by alcoholic fermentation. If alcohol is added midway to stop the fermentation, the sugar in the grapes will remain in the liquid, resulting in a sweeter finish.
In the case of Banyuls, brandy, an alcoholic drink made from grapes just like wine, is added.
In the world of wine, Banyuls is said to go well with chocolate, and apart from chocolate, it is also known to go well with slightly salty white and blue cheeses.
In the second half of the article, we will look at the combination of Banyuls and chocolate! If you are interested in the real compatibility, please check it out ♪
Recommended New Zealand wines for Valentine's Day
I'd like to introduce some of my favorite New Zealand wines that go well with chocolate and are perfect for Valentine's Day!
Green Songs Late Harvest Riesling
| Winery Name | Green Songs |
|---|---|
| Grape variety | Riesling |
| Origin | Wairarapa Gladstone |
| Suggested retail price | 3,190 yen (tax included) |
This dessert wine is made by Koyama Kohei, a Japanese winemaker active in New Zealand.
It goes well with chocolate and other desserts. The label design is also cute, making it a perfect Valentine's gift. The size is a 500ml bottle, slightly smaller than a full bottle.
Mahi Marlborough Pinot Noir
| Winery Name | Mahi |
|---|---|
| Grape variety | Pinot Noir |
| Origin | Marlborough |
| Suggested retail price | 4,950 yen (tax included) |
The reason I chose this wine is because of its name, "Mahi." Mahi means "handmade" in the language of the Maori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand. I think it would be nice to give a handmade wine filled with the maker's feelings to someone you care about.
Mahi has a complex and rich flavor that makes it a great accompaniment to a wide variety of dishes.
We tested which wines go best with chocolate!
Now, let's examine the combination of chocolate and wine. We decided to check which wine goes well with each type of chocolate.
This is a very exciting pairing to test!
Everyone in the editorial department is also participating in this project.
I ate and drank a lot of chocolate and wine and compared them.
I prepared these six types of chocolate.
- Milk chocolate
- Bitter Chocolate
- White Chocolate
- Chocolate with nuts
- Chocolate with orange peel
- Ruby Chocolate
What wines to pair with it?
There are five types of wine:
- red wine
- White Wine
- Sparkling wine
- sweet wine
- Banyuls
This time, all the wines we had were from New Zealand, except for Banyuls.
【red wine】
Punam Classic Pinot Noir
| Winery Name | Pounamu wines |
|---|---|
| Grape variety | Pinot Noir |
| Origin | Marlborough |
| Base price | 2,728 yen (tax included) |
It has a slightly stronger flavor than regular Pinot Noir. It has a pleasant, moderate bitterness. This Punam series is often seen at "AEON" and "Sake no Yamaya".
Another product sold by Bokumo Wine that has a similar taste to this wine is Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020 .
[White wine]
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc
| Winery Name | Delegat Wine Estate |
|---|---|
| Grape variety | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Origin | Marlborough |
| Reference price | 2,690 yen (tax included) |
A typical taste of New Zealand! A dry white wine with plenty of fruitiness. As the name Oyster Bay suggests, it goes great with oysters, but I wonder if it goes well with chocolate?
Another product sold by Bokumo Wine that has a similar taste to this wine is Invivo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 .
【foam】
Cloudy Bay Perolus
| Winery Name | Cloudy Bay |
|---|---|
| Grape variety | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir |
| Origin | Marlborough |
| Suggested retail price | 4,546 yen (tax included) |
This authentic sparkling wine is made by the prestigious New Zealand winery "Cloudy Bay." Its characteristic is the pleasant brioche-like aroma that wafts from the popping bubbles.
[Sweet]
Green Songs Late Harvest Riesling
This is the same wine we introduced as a recommended wine, so we will omit the details.
Which wine goes best with each chocolate?
All of the chocolates I prepared, except for Whittaker's from New Zealand, were purchased at Seijo Ishii .
We tested chocolate that was neither too cheap nor too expensive, so we hope that this will be useful for everything from easy-to-buy chocolate like you can buy at a convenience store to authentic chocolate like you would buy at a department store.
Mellow! Milk chocolate
| Product name | Whittaker's Creamy Milk Chocolate |
|---|---|
| country of origin | new zealand |
| Contents | 180g |
| price | 1,198 yen (tax included) |
▶ Amazon
First, let's try pairing sparkling wine with Whittaker's, a classic chocolate in New Zealand. In my experience, this combination is a perfect match.
(Munch munch, gulp) Yes, it goes well together♪ It's the best!!
Iwasu-san is in high spirits (lol) The New Zealand chocolate recommended by Iwasu-san is mellow and super delicious!
Indeed, this milk chocolate and sparkling wine go really well together.
See, it fits, right? "Banyuls" is good too.
Finally, the milky flavor is emphasized, bringing out the deliciousness of the chocolate.
Milk chocolate pairing test results
[Everyone is convinced! The perfect wine]
・Sparkling wine ・Sweet wine ・Banyuls
[Wines that are either good or bad for people]
・Red wine・White wine
A bittersweet adult taste. Bitter chocolate
| Product name | Vivani Organic Extra Dark Chocolate 100% |
|---|---|
| country of origin | Germany |
| Contents | 80g |
| price | 638 yen (tax included) |
Wow, it's bitter! It's a chocolate I've never tried before.
I was the one who bought it (lol) but 100% was a bit too much...
Yes, it was the bitterest chocolate I've ever tasted (lol).
But we recommend pairing it with this "Banyuls" .
I'm sure even this rather bitter chocolate will work!
Wow, it's true! The Banyuls chocolate mellows out the bitterness.
I think the "brandy-like flavor" of Banyuls brings out the flavor of the hard-core bitter chocolate.
Test results for pairing with bitter chocolate
[Everyone is convinced! The perfect wine]
Banyuls
[Pretty good! Wines that the majority said were good]
・Sparkling wine ・Sweet wine
[Wines that are either good or bad for people]
・Red wine・White wine
Gentle taste ♡ White chocolate
| Product name | Lindt Chocolate [White] |
|---|---|
| country of origin | Switzerland |
| Contents | 100g |
| price | 429 yen (tax included) |
What goes well with white chocolate?
Well...bubbles...maybe?
You're a big fan of sparkling wine! (laughs)
But it certainly does go well with it! Sparkling wine goes well with a variety of chocolates.
This Late Harvest Riesling is also delicious, like a syrup poured over ice cream.
That's right. White chocolate is characterized by its lack of bitterness and high milk fat content, and I think it pairs well with a wide range of wines compared to other types of chocolate.
It goes especially well with sweeter wines.
Test results for pairing with white chocolate
[Everyone is convinced! The perfect wine]
・Sweet wine ・Sparkling wine ・Banyuls
[Pretty good! Wines that the majority said were good]
・White wine
[Wines that are either good or bad for people]
·red wine
Chocolate with orange peel goes great with alcohol!
| Product name | Cafe Tasse Orange Bitter Chocolate |
|---|---|
| country of origin | Belgium |
| Contents | 45g |
| price | 352 yen (tax included) |
In fact, this chocolate with orange peel is the one that can be used with the widest variety of wines !
Wow, the compatibility with Banyuls is amazing after all! A landslide victory.
It's true! It's so delicious...
The fruit flavor really stands out, making for a very mature combination.
If you add orange peel, it will give off a bitter taste, so it goes well with red wine.
That's right. If you're not sure which chocolate to pair with wine, I recommend chocolate with orange peel. This is the perfect chocolate for wine!
Pairing test results with chocolate containing orange peel
[Everyone is convinced! The perfect wine]
・Banyuls・Sparkling wine・Sweet wine・Red wine
[Pretty good! Wines that the majority said were good]
・White wine
Very filling! Chocolate with nuts
| Product name | Ritter Nuts |
|---|---|
| country of origin | Germany |
| Contents | 100g |
| price | 418 yen (tax included) |
Wow! The nutty aroma and the oak flavor of this sparkling wine go perfectly together!
That's true! The synergy is amazing.
If it contains nuts, you can eat it as a snack.
I highly recommend the chocolate with nuts and sparkling wine!
This chocolate contains hazelnuts, but almonds have a bitter aftertaste, so it would go well with red wine.
Pairing test results with chocolate containing nuts
[Everyone is convinced! The perfect wine]
・Sparkling wine ・Sweet wine ・Banyuls
[Wines that are either good or bad for people]
・Red wine・White wine
A new sensation! Ruby Chocolate
| Product name | Neapolitan Chocolate Ruby |
|---|---|
| country of origin | Italy |
| Contents | 100g |
| price | 681 yen (tax included) |
This chocolate is made from pink cocoa beans called "ruby cocoa."
This is the one that's been getting a bit of attention and is being called the "fourth chocolate."
This is my first time eating it, but it's sweet and sour and delicious!
That's true, it was my first time eating it too, and it was delicious.
This goes well with a late harvest Riesling.
Since it has a sour taste, maybe Sauvignon Blanc would be a good choice?
But when you try things like this, you discover a lot of new things, which is great!
Test results for pairing with ruby chocolate
[Everyone is convinced! The perfect wine]
・Sweet wine ・Banyuls ・Sparkling wine
[Pretty good! Wines that the majority said were good]
・White wine
[Wines that are either good or bad for people]
·red wine
A guide to wines that go well with chocolate
Finally, here is a summary of this verification by Iwasu and the editorial team!
- It goes well with sparkling wine and sweet wine!
- Banyuls and chocolate are the perfect combination.
- Chocolate with orange peel goes well with any wine. This is the perfect chocolate for wine !
- Chocolate that is too bitter is a little difficult to combine.
- Regular Sauvignon Blanc doesn't go very well with chocolate.
- If the wine is astringent or bitter , chocolate can accentuate that astringency or bitterness.
When pairing chocolate, I recommend sparkling wine or a sweet wine.
If you can get your hands on some Banyuls, please give it a try. It reaffirms that Banyuls is the best chocolate to go with.
Today was a day of new discoveries!
Until now, I had somehow thought that, like "sweets + coffee," a strong red wine would go well with chocolate, but I was surprised that it didn't go that well (lol).
Admittedly, it was a bit of a surprise.
However, I learned that chocolate and wine go well together as long as you choose the right wine, so I'd like to continue trying different combinations.
Yes, when we actually tried it, we discovered a lot of things.
I would love for all readers of this article to try the combination of chocolate and wine.
First of all, what kind of day is Valentine's Day?
Finally, here is some trivia about Valentine's Day.
In Japan, Valentine's Day is often thought of as the day to give chocolate, but have you ever heard that "Japan is the only country where women give chocolate to men?"
Although Valentine's Day is a very exciting event, surprisingly not many people know about its origins and background.
What kind of day is it really? Knowing a little bit about it might make for a good conversation topic.
Is this actually the date of a priest's execution? The slightly scary origins of Valentine's Day
The origins of Valentine's Day date back to ancient Rome. February 14th was a holiday for the goddess Juno , and the following day, February 15th, a festival called the Lupecalia was held.
During this festival, men would draw a piece of paper with a woman's name written on it and spend the festival with the woman whose name was written on that piece of paper.
Later, during the period of control under Claudius II , marriage was banned on the grounds that the institution of "marriage" lowered the morale of soldiers. However, a Christian priest named Valentinus (pronounced Valentine in English) was opposed to this idea and secretly held weddings for soldiers.
When the emperor found out about this, he was furious and decided to execute Priest Valentinus. He chose February 14th, the day before the festival of Lupecalia, as the day for the execution.
However, it is said that even while in prison, Valentine continued to speak of "love" to his guards until his very last moments, and this day was later renamed "Valentine's Day" as a "day of love ."
Is Japan the only country where chocolate is the main focus on Valentine's Day?
In Japan, Valentine's Day has long been known as the day when women give chocolate to men they like. However, this has been changing in recent years, and the ways of enjoying the day have become more diverse, with people buying chocolate for themselves, giving it to friends, or giving it to family and people who have helped them.
We have also recently heard words like "friend chocolate," "family chocolate," and "sawama chocolate"!
In Japan, Valentine's Day has recently become more of a "chocolate-focused festival" than a "day to confess your love," but how is Valentine's Day celebrated in other countries around the world?
In many countries around the world, Valentine's Day is considered a "day of love." In the United States and France, it is also seen as a day for couples to spend romantic time together, and unlike in Japan, the mainstream pattern is for men to give gifts to women .
Popular presents include bouquets of flowers , message cards , and sweets , and some people give chocolates, but this is just one option for gifts.
So why did "Valentine's Day = chocolate" come to be associated with Japan? The most likely theory is that it began in the late 1950s when a chocolate manufacturer ran an advertisement urging people to "give chocolate on Valentine's Day!"
It seems like the Valentine's Day chocolate sales battle is getting hotter every year. Using the pairing verification results introduced in this article as a reference, I'm sure you'll have fun pairing some of the special chocolates released this season with wine .
summary
Valentine's Day is an annual event that both men and women look forward to, as they wonder "What kind of chocolate should I give?" and "Will I receive any chocolate?"
It is common to give chocolate to loved ones or people who have helped you, with deep feelings attached, but to take it to the next level, you could also add wine.
The combination of wine and chocolate is a fun pairing experience that you can try casually. We hope you will use the results of this experiment to try out "chocolate x wine" for yourself.
Enjoy a glass of wine and spend a wonderful Valentine's Day with your loved ones. Happy Valentine's Day♪
