Napa Valley Wine & Chocolates

Chocolate Lovers Only

Bradley Aden

January 24th, 2022

For The Love of Wine & Chocolate

Few Napa Valley wineries are committed to producing top quality chocolates. Our elegant assortment of chocolates is hand-crafted, made exclusively to pair with our wines. When paired correctly Wine & Chocolate can elevate your tasting experience into something miraculous.

Our Napa Valley chocolates are the perfect gift for any occasion, an easy way to elevate any Valentine’s Day or Christmas celebration.

A Match Made in Heaven

Chocolate and wine are two of life’s greatest pleasures, but pairing them can be a difficult. Both offer intense flavors and complexity, which can lead to challenges when pairing the two. Cocoa beans, like wine grapes, undergo the fermentation process in order to remove tannins and create a more complex end effect.

A successful chocolate and wine pairing is vivid; producing enhanced sensations and tastes across the palate. Often revealing hidden flavors in both wine & chocolate for the first time. When in doubt, pair chocolates and wines that have a similar style and weight. Less intensely-flavored chocolates go well with lighter-bodied wines, while chocolates with more intense flavors can stand up to fuller-bodied wines. While it might sound counterintuitive, a wine that is “sweeter” than the chocolate itself actually works quite well. These characteristics provide a nice balance to the bitter flavors of cocoa.

The texture contrast between the two can make the difference between an amazing pairing and a quickly forgettable experience. Is the chocolate silky, luscious, palate-coating, crunchy? The fruit flavors and tannins combine with chocolate to create a lush mouthfeel. The characteristics that work best for these pairings, lay in the contrasting elements of the wine & chocolate relationship.

Don’t forget to experience our chocolate & wine pairings, available during any Castello tour and tasting experience.

Our Favorite Wine & Chocolate Pairings

Milk Chocolate

Pairs well with Merlot, La Castellana, Super Tuscan Blend, Pinot Noir
Milk chocolate is usually sweeter and creamier with flavors of brown sugar, vanilla, and cream. It requires a wine that is light to medium in body, with a ripe fruit character.

Dark Chocolate

Pairs well with Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, La Fantasia, Il Passito, LH Gewürztraminer
Bitter to semi-sweet chocolates that are 50 to 100% cacao have intense, bitter flavors, and earthy to fruity undertones. The dark fruit from red wine and the fine tannins combine with dark chocolate to create a lush mouthfeel. Match the intensity of the chocolate without adding more dryness by pairing these chocolates with full-bodied wines.

White Chocolate

Pairs well with Riesling, Sweeter Rosè, Chardonnay
White chocolate, which is made with cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, has a sweet, buttery flavor with notes of honey and cream. Sweet white and rosè wines help cleanse the palate of the rich flavors from white chocolate, as does as sparkling spumante. White wines can really work great with white chocolate. Riesling or a buttery Chardonnay will complement the vanilla, caramel and honey flavors in the chocolate.

See Our Wine & Chocolate Recipes Here

3 Piece Chocolate Box

Bring our wine & chocolate pairing experience home with our trio of chocolate truffles from Le Belge Chocolatier! Try our smooth and creamy milk chocolate truffle with our Napa Valley Merlot, our luscious dark chocolate crown truffle with our Napa Valley Cabernet or Il Barone, and our beautiful raspberry-filled heart chocolate with our La Fantasia. A favorite for any lover of wine and chocolate!

Each box contains: 

  • 1 red dark chocolate hearts with raspberry gelate & dark chocolate ganache
  • 1 dark chocolate crowns w with dark chocolate and sea salt ganache
  • 1 creamy milk chocolate truffle

6 Piece Chocolate Box

Bring our wine & chocolate pairing experience home with our chocolate truffles from Le Belge Chocolatier made exclusively for the Castello! Featuring two creamy milk chocolate truffles perfect to pair with our Napa Valley Merlot, two luscious dark chocolate crown truffles crafted to pair with our Napa Valley Cabernet or Il Barone, and two enticing raspberry-filled heart chocolate truffles that pair beautifully with our La Fantasia. A favorite for any lover of wine and chocolate!

Each box contains: 

  • 2 red dark chocolate hearts with raspberry gelate & dark chocolate ganache
  • 2 dark chocolate crowns w with dark chocolate and sea salt ganache
  • 2 creamy milk chocolate truffles

Fantasia Truffle Box

Satisfy your heart’s desire with this lovely box of 6 chocolate heart truffles from Castello di Amorosa. Each hand-crafted milk chocolate piece is filled with a smooth and silky raspberry ganache. Delicious on their own or when paired with our La Fantasia soft-sparkling rosé.

Each box contains: 

  • 2 red dark chocolate hearts with raspberry gelate & dark chocolate ganache

King’s Ransom Truffle Box

Tempt your taste buds with the “King’s Ransom” of chocolates, a jewel box containing 12 assorted pieces of our artisan chocolates.  Your heart is in the right place when you purchase this for friends and family, but we wont hold it against you if you keep it!

Each box contains: 

  • 2 passion fruit cups with white chocolate truffle
  • 2 dark chocolate crowns w with dark chocolate and sea salt ganache
  • 2 dark chocolate shells with coconut truffle ganache
  • 2 red dark chocolate hearts with raspberry gelate & dark chocolate ganache
  • 2 white chocolate shells with key lime truffle ganache
  • 2 milk chocolate truffle shells with vanilla milk ganache

Assorted Chocolate 4-Pack

Includes one bar each of our Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, Belgian Milk Chocolate, La Fantasia Raspberry Chocolate, and Hazelnut Almond Milk Chocolate. Produced by local Napa Valley chocolatier, Le Belge, exclusively for the Castello.

Sea Salt Dark Chocolate

Revel in the salty sweetness of our locally made dark chocolate sea salt bars. Enjoy all on its own for a taste sensation or serve with our Late Harvest Gewürztraminer or Il Passito for an unforgettable paring! Each bar is 64% dark chocolate blended with pure sea salt. The sea salt intensifies the bright acidic notes of the chocolate while highlighting its earthiness with a crunchy texture for a pairing that is simply divine. Produced by local Napa Valley chocolatier, Le Belge, exclusively for the Castello.

Pair With: Il Passito, Late Harvest Gewürztraminer

La Fantasia Rasberry Chocolate

Indulge in your wildest chocolate fantasies with our La Fantasia Raspberry Dark Chocolate bar. Artisanally made by a local chocolatier, this dark chocolate bar contains a delicate raspberry ganache inside; the perfect accompaniment for our La Fantasia soft-sparkling rosé wine.

Pair With: La Fantasia

Hazelnut Almond Milk Chocolate

Revel in the smooth & rich flavors of our locally made hazlenut-almond chocolate bars. A delicious nutty, toasted and earthy experience sure to wow your palate. Produced by local Napa Valley chocolatier, Le Belge, exclusively for the Castello.

Pair With: Late Harvest Gewürztraminer

Belgian Milk Chocolate

Artisanally made by local gourmet chocolatier, Le Belge, exclusively for the Castello. The chocolate exhibits everything you want in a silky, melty milk chocolate. Pair this with a soft red wine like our Merlot or La Castellana for a chocolate paring delight!

Pair With: Merlot, La Castellana, Super Tuscan Blend, Pinot Noir, Moscato, Simpatica

Wine & Chocolate Packs

Our hand curated wine & chocolate packs make the perfect gift for any Valentines Day or Christmas. Our Castello wines hand paired with an elegant assortment of chocolates hand-crafted by Le Belge Chocolatiers exclusively for the Castello, excellent to pair with your favorite Castello wines.

Featured Packs: 

  • The Fantasy Wine Pack Our La Fantasia Wine Pack, available for a limited time featuring our fan favorite rosé, is guaranteed to make fireworks. This rosé wine pack features 3 bottles of 2020 La Fantasia, 4-Pack of authentic La Fantasia Raspberry Chocolate bars, 6 pc. Fantasia Truffle box & our Fantasia wine bottle magnet.
  • Liquid Gold Wine Pack An elegant take on excellence, our patience allows for a superior late harvest wine. When paired with our sea-salt chocolates this sweet wine comes to life like never before. The wine displays bright aromas of honey, vanilla bean, and citrus zest with rich butterscotch-caramel undertones. The rare late harvest varietal grown in the Yountville AVA of Napa Valley.
  • Cabernet & Chocolate Wine Pack – Few things in this world go together like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chocolate. Explore the depths of taste and luxury with our limited time wine pack. An elegant assortment of chocolates hand-crafted by Le Belge Chocolatiers exclusively for the Castello, excellent to pair with your favorite Castello wines. Cabernet and chocolate are a match made in heaven! The chocolate mellows the tannins in the wine, but the rich Cabernet Sauvignon has enough structure to withstand the boldness of the chocolate.