It is not unusual for us to hear that sweets and desserts are best paired with white or sparkling wines. Why? Because as a general rule, the combination works. However, that is not to say that red wines cannot be an appropriate and surprising fit with their more powerful flavors and aromas.
According to Concha y Toro’s technical director Marcelo Papa: “while red wines like Carmènére are often not the most obvious choice for pairing with sweets, the best way to do this is to combine them with desserts with a high cocoa content, at least 70%, like brownies or cakes.”
When choosing a wine to drink with desserts, it is essential to balance the sweetness of the dessert and the wine. For red varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmènére, or Merlot, bitter chocolates are an excellent combination since they enhance the wines’ flavors.
Why not dare yourself to try this pairing at home! An easy and delicious choice is to accompany a glass Marques de Casa and Concha Carmenere with a 70% cocoa chocolate brownie. Check first that the brownie has a bitter taste to ensure that it is the perfect combination.
Another less conventional pairing option is gaining strong momentum among Chilean chefs in making desserts using “atypical” ingredients like blue cheese or rosemary.
Marques de Casa Concha ambassador, the renowned pastry chef Gustavo Sáez (@gustavosaezt), is a great exponent of this gastronomic trend and regularly surprises diners with his original inventions that are ideal to be enjoyed with red wines. One excellent example is his pairing of Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon with his delicious Banana and walnut cake, which is filled with hazelnut paste and dipped in chocolate.
