We’ve all heard of pairing wines with cheese or pairing wines with meat dishes, but have you heard of pairing wine with…. Chocolate?

Oh yes, you’re not dreaming, two of your favourite things in the world can be served together not just because you would like to have them both at the same time, but because they’re an actual food pairing recommended by experts!

Welcome to your at-home wine tasting experience, hosted by Lavo Wine. With an order of a red wine bottle of choice, you will receive a complimentary box of Belgian Dark Chocolate for pairing.

This exclusive limited-edition offering on GemSpot is not only for a limited time, but also capped at one redemption per user. An experience for the wine enthusiasts, chocolate lovers and budding sommeliers, you can choose from a selection of high-quality red wines as listed:

• Chateau Haut-Bellevue Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux 2014
• Laurenzane, Graves Rouge 2015
• Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion ‘Les Hauts De Larrivet Haut-Brion’, Pessac-Leognan 2015
• Chateau Croix Des Rouzes, Pomerol 2012
• Chateau Cadet Soutard, Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2014
• Domaine De Saint-Guirons, Pauillac 2012

Want proof that wine and chocolate is the way to go for your next tasting? Here are some reasons why you really must serve them together (though if you’re already curious, you probably won’t need much convincing!).

Reason 1: Both are antioxidants

Helping to protect your cells from damage from free radicals, antioxidants can help protect and even reverse the effects of oxidation. Dark chocolate is known to be rich in flavonoids, a nutrient that protects from toxins; while the antioxidant in red wine is known as resveratrol, which can help protect blood vessels.

Reason 2: Wine and dark chocolate can be good for heart health

There’s a reason red wine is typically served with red meat; as dishes such as steak can be quite fatty and heavy, the polyphenols in red wine lend their astringent quality to assist in the digestion of the meat, even somewhat limiting the amount of cholesterol being consumed. Studies also show that people who drink moderate amounts of red wine in their regular diet have a lower risk of heart disease, with a reduced LDL (ie. ‘bad cholesterol’) and reduced likelihood of developing blood clots.

Dark chocolate on the other hand, can help lower blood pressure.

The key to having these foods improve your heart health is to choose high-quality products (avoid overly processed dark chocolate with too much added sugar), and to consume them in moderation.

Reason 3: Complementary tannins

Both red wine and dark chocolate contain natural tannins, which is the astringent quality in certain foods that you can recognise by the drying effect it has in your mouth. Red wine is made with the grape skin still intact, resulting in a higher tannin quality; while in chocolate the tannins come from the fermented cocoa seeds and beans.

Experts suggest that while you would expect the tannins from both foods to cause your mouth to dry out, when served together, dark chocolate and red wine make a great flavour partnering as they highlight each other’s flavours instead of cancelling them out.

Bear in mind, there is an art to choosing the right wine to go with your choice of dark chocolate, so certain wines may end up simply overpowering your chocolate, while some chocolates may end up clashing with your choice bottle of wine for the evening.

Reason 4:  They have a lot in common

In order to be ready for serving, both cocoa beans and wine grapes go through a fermentation process. This gives these foods a distinct taste, and in the case of red wine and dark chocolate specifically, a ‘heavier’ flavour.

And when serving them together, don’t worry about going ‘heavy with heavy’, as red wine and dark chocolate flavour profiles are meant to be paired (or rather, ‘matched up’) instead of balanced.

Want to take advantage of the limited time offer? Get your orders in before 17^th August 2021, and we’ll even throw in a special 15% OFF (up to RM15) with a minimum spend of RM150. Don’t forget to use the promo code “PAIRING” before you check out your order!

Remember, it’s only one redemption per user, so get to searching for Lavo Wine on the GemSpot app today!