“With the arrival of February comes a question as inevitable as long-stem roses, come-hither lingerie and ridiculously bad Valentine’s Day restaurant deals: What wine goes best with chocolate?

“…While fortified wines in general may be the best choices for chocolate, I did find one sensational option among unfortified sweet wines: Tokaji Aszu from Hungary. These wines, made with grapes that have been inflicted with botrytis, the famous noble rot, are both fiercely sweet and wonderfully acidic, with flavors of orange and apricot that meld gorgeously with chocolate.

“I tried a 2003 5 Puttonyos from Royal Tokaji, which had turned a dark amber in the bottle. Yet in the glass it was bright and lovely, thoroughly refreshing and a joyous match with each style of chocolate. And unlike the fortified wines, which ranged from 15 to 20 percent alcohol, it was about 10 percent.”

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