A wine and chocolate tasting charcuterie board is a terrific dessert idea for adults. Serve a variety of flavored chocolates, nuts, and fruits for an easy party at home. Great for dessert tables, cocktail parties, girls night in, or date night.

round wood board with chocolate, nuts, fruit, and wine.

Wine & Chocolate Party Ideas

Looking for an easy dessert party idea for adults? How about a chocolate themed charcuterie board complete with wine.

This chocolate themed platter is filled with delicious chocolate and all the accoutrements that go so well with it. It’s perfect for tasting, grazing, and INDULGING!

This party isn’t meant to be stuffy or formal. The idea is to let guests choose small pieces of chocolate and taste it with a few different wines, as well as different fruits and nuts.

chocolate charcuterie board on tan tablecloth with wine glasses.

When to serve a chocolate tasting board

Any of these occasions would be perfect for a chocolate charcuterie platter. And what’s more celebratory than wine and chocolate?

This would be a great idea for a small group of friends or girls night in.
Wine and chocolate are great for a date night for two at home.
Create a board for movie night and add some popcorn to the platter.
Set up this chocolate dessert board at home after having dinner out at a restaurant.
Add this for an easy cocktail party dessert platter.
Have a Valentine’s day dinner or Galantine’s celebration at home.

chocolate, nuts, and fruit on round wood platter, overhead

Ideas for a chocolate charcuterie board

Here are the essential ingredients you’ll need to fill your tray.

Chocolate bars or bark – dark chocolate bars, dark chocolate bars with almonds, milk chocolate bars with toffee bits, etc.
Bite size chocolate bites – caramel-filled chocolates, dark chocolate covered almonds, milk chocolate covered cashews, salted chocolate caramels
Spread or Dip – peanut butter or caramel sauce
Dried fruit – dried apricots or cherries, raisins
Fresh fruit – strawberries and cherries, raspberries
Nuts – cashews, peanuts, almonds
Garnish – fresh flower buds or herbs

Tasting Tips

A good rule of thumb is the wine should be as sweet or sweeter than the chocolate. Otherwise, you can end up with a bitter taste.

You’ll also want to pair lighter or milk chocolates with lighter and sweeter wines like Zinfandel, Riesling, or Pinot Noir.

Fuller-bodied wines like Cabernet, Merlot, or Shiraz should be paired with darker chocolates.

bowls of chocolate caramels with nuts and dried fruit

bowls of chocolate covered nuts and peanut butter, with fruit and nuts.

Wine and Chocolate tasting

The quality of your wine and chocolates should be good.
Gourmet chocolate bars are readily available at many retailers, and you can break them up into bite-sized pieces for tasting.
To add an extra layer of flavor, offer variations of the chocolate such as nut-filled, fruit-filled, and caramel or peanut butter-filled.
As you’re tasting the two together, follow the steps below to get the best experience.

Start by tasting your wine and chocolate separately so you can fully appreciate how they pair together. Then follow these steps.

How to taste wine and chocolate together

Swirl
Swirl your glass of wine to help aerate it and release the aromas.
Sniff
Smell the wine for its bouquet.
Sip
Take a sip of wine as you smell its aroma.
Bite
Take a bite of chocolate and chew slowly, holding it on the tongue for a moment to taste the flavors.
Sip
As the chocolate starts to dissolve, take another sip of wine.
Mingle
Let the chocolate & wine mingle together in your mouth before swallowing.

bowl of chocolate covered nuts with cherries, strawberries, and milk chocolate bars.

More chocolate party ideas

We have even more ideas to help you indulge in your chocolate craving!

Host a ladies night chocolate party.
Create a chocolate and cheese dessert board
Prepare a beautiful dessert fondue platter
Host an amazing wine and chocolate tasting party