Although it might sound easy to combine red wine with something as delicious as chocolate, there are some things to consider that can really improve the way red wine and chocolate taste together.

The polyphenols in chocolate are similar to those that are found in red wine. Polyphenols are also known as tannins,  and they are the reason that both wine and chocolate taste bitter.

Generally, dark chocolate that has 70% to 100% cacao has deeper and more intense flavours. Intensely flavoured chocolate calls for a fuller bodied red wine. For this reason Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best wines to pair with chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, as a very general rule. Shiraz is also a good pairing with chocolate, particularly the fuller bodied styles of Shiraz.

Another school of thought would suggest that chocolate with a higher cacao content would be better matched with sweeter dessert wines.

Milk chocolate has less cacao than dark chocolate, making it a better a better match with wines that have lower tannins such as  Merlot or Grenache.