EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

This month, our tasting panel got a jump on Cupid, matching wines to chocolate bars that won't break your budget.

Chef Blythe Beck didn't want to stop there. She recommended artisan cheeses that turned certain pairs into luscious trios.

From exotic imports at specialty shops to a popular Swiss bar sold at supermarkets and drugstores, our chocolate selection includes several premium brands at less than $5 a bar. We sampled the bars from mildest to strongest while sipping 13 wines that ran the gamut from a sparkling red to classic dessert varieties.

The wines, less than $25 apiece, were each sampled with a specific bar. By the end of the tasting, we had discovered some sure-fire pairs, given up on others and uncovered a few surprises.

At Ms. Beck's suggestion, we added a brie-like goat cheese and a blue cheese to the dark chocolate pairings. The richness rounded out the wine pairing and left us swooning.

A bottle of wine and a couple of chocolate bars would make a winning Valentine's offering. But even if you're not planning an intimate evening with your sweetheart, consider a chocolate-and-wine tasting party with a group of friends.

Or choose one of our top five matches for a sensuous end to dinner for two and the start of a permanent love connection. Even after the bloom is off the rose, you'll be wedded to at least one of these wine-and-chocolate duos.

Tina Danze is a freelance writer in Dallas.

ASSIGNMENT: Pick wines under $25 to pair with specific chocolate bars under $5.

EVANS CAGLAGE/DMN

Kyle Stewart co-owner of the Cultured Cup, samples the tasting panel's wine and chocolate pairings.

THE CHOCOLATE BARS:

(in order of tasting):

• Ludomar Turrón Trufado de Cacao

• Valor Dark Chocolate 70% with Orange

• Valrhona 71% Cacao Dark Bittersweet Chocolate

• Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

• Santander Colombian Single Origin Dark Chocolate with 100% Colombian Espresso Coffee

• Ghirardelli Espresso Escape 60% Cacao

THE TASTERS

• Kyle Stewart, co-owner of the Cultured Cup

• Paul Pinnell, general manager of Nana in the Hilton Anatole

• George Howald, Serendipity Wine Imports

• Blythe Beck, executive chef, Hector's on Henderson

• Cathy Barber, Taste editor

• Tina Danze, freelance writer

These are the tasting panel's favorite pairings.

BEST IN SHOW:

Valor Dark Chocolate (70% cacao) with Orange, paired with Alvear Pedro Ximénez Sherry 2000

BEST MATCH FOR THE MONEY:

Santander Dark Chocolate (70% cacao) with 100% Colombian Espresso Coffee, paired with Taylor Fladgate 2000 Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Porto. Pick up the pair for less than $25.

DARK AND RICH:

Lindt 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate, paired with Banfi Rosa Regale (Brachetto d'Acqui) 2005

THE PERFECT PERCENTAGE:

Valrhona Le Noir Amer 71% Cacao Dark Bittersweet Chocolate paired with Banyuls Rimage (either the L'Étoile 2004, or the Les Clos de Paulilles 2003)

THE ESSENCE OF FLAVOR:

Valor Dark Chocolate (70% cacao) with Orange paired with Quady Essencia California Orange Muscat 2004, or the Banfi Rosa Regale 2005

THE BAR:

Valor Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao with Orange ($2.49)

Made from a blend of cacao beans from Ghana, Panama and Ecuador, this dark bar was warmly received after we found its wine match. The pairing proves how the right wine can make a dessert magical. The bar contains not only orange pulp, but also pineapple fibers, which added an intriguing texture.

THE WINES:

Quady Essencia California Orange Muscat 2004 ($14.99 for 375 ml., widely available)

Good body, nice viscosity with a pleasant Seville orange character. The orange rind flavors in the wine married well with the chocolate. Rather than overwhelming it, the wine’s sublime citrus notes work in support of the chocolate, integrating the flavors.

Alvear Pedro Ximénez Sherry 2000 ($22.99 for 375 ml., other vintages also widely available)

This is an amazingly versatile dessert wine, with notes of honey and raisins. “It has a richness that most dessert wines don’t have,” one taster said. The panel felt this was the best overall pairing, with the orange in the chocolate drawing out the flavors in the wine. “It’s a very seductive pairing.” Mr. Pinnell noted that other vintages of this dessert wine would pair nicely with this chocolate as well. There’s negligible difference between vintages; sherry producers pride themselves on keeping their house style consistent.

Bottom line: Both wines made for good pairings with this chocolate, but the Pedro Ximénez is a showstopper.

THE BAR:

Valrhona 71% Cacao Dark Bittersweet Chocolate ($4)

A chocolate craver’s bar; that extra 1 percent makes a difference. One taster felt it was the kind of chocolate he’d cook with, but not eat. He warmed to it after finding a wine and cheese match for the bar. That’s right, cheese!

The chocolate lent itself beautifully to pairing with two California cheeses that Ms. Beck selected: Point Reyes blue cheese and Humboldt Fog. The cheeses lent a rich, creamy counterpoint and further heightened the match-up with the wines for an amazing sensory trio.

"It’s the ménage à trois of food: wine, chocolate and cheese," Ms. Beck says. "The cheese has the fat that’s missing from the duo; it wraps a bow around the package.

THE WINES:

L’Étoile Banyuls Rimage 2004 ($18.99 for 750 ml.)

Banyuls Rimage are red dessert wines widely regarded as great wine matches for chocolate. L’Étoile’s rendition of the style didn’t disappoint.

"The depth of the wine matches the depth of the 71% chocolate — bravo," one taster said.

Another taster noted that the chocolate helped give backbone to the wine so that it held up to the chocolate. Another remarked, "I can’t stop eating and drinking this."

Excellent with the Humboldt Fog cheese.

Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls Rimage 2003 ($17.69 for 375 ml.)

"Cassis and black currant flavors jump out of the glass," one taster said. "There’s a black raspberry component that’s unexpected in a Banyuls." Another liked the cheese and chocolate with this wine more than with the previous Banyuls Rimage. Two tasters preferred the Point Reyes Blue Cheese with this pairing. "It’s beautiful."

THE CHEESES:

We added two artisan California cheeses: Point Reyes blue cheese and Humboldt Fog, a brie-like goat cheese with an ultracreamy texture made by Cypress Grove Chèvre. They’re available at Whole Foods Market.

Bottom line: You can’t go wrong with either of these Banyuls Rimage — a perfect match made even more enticing by the addition of the cheese.

THE BAR:

Ludomar Turrón Trufado de Cacao ($5)

With a mosaic of dark and milk chocolate on top, and a soft ganache center, this Spanish import is like a truffle in candy-bar form. We chose it as an alternative to the high-percentage chocolate bars that dominated our tasting (some folks just aren't fans of ultradark, bittersweet stuff). This sweet bar has a fudge-brownie-flavored center and a disappointing grainy texture.

THE WINE:

Danielle Tawny Dessert Wine ($19.47 for 500 ml.)

A lovely dessert wine with a surprisingly good chocolate and fruit flavor. This wine balanced the bar and improved its flavor. Still, most tasters preferred the wine by itself. One taster noted that although not especially complex, the wine has refreshing fruit flavors.

Bottom line: A pairing only for those who like their chocolate on the sweet side. We'd like to see this wine paired with a better truffle bar.

THE BAR:

Lindt 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate ($2.49 at most supermarkets and drugstores)

This is one for serious chocolate heads, and we found it quite enjoyable — when paired with the right wine. Mr. Stewart noted that Lindt faired well in a recent blind tasting of chocolates conducted in his store. At that tasting, the Lindt 70% cocoa bar was the winner, beating out more than 30 chocolates including some expensive Europeans. Not bad for a bar sold in drugstores and supermarkets. We initially sampled the bar with the Banyuls Rimage we tried with the Valrhona, but it proved too challenging for the wines. Read on for the pairing that made us learn to love a high-chocolate content bar.

THE WINES:

Banfi Rosa Regale (Brachetto D'Acqui) 2005 (widely available; $13.99 for 375 ml., $16.82 for 750 ml.)

This refreshing, semisparkling red dessert wine is lovely on its own. But with its sweet raspberry notes, it begs for a dark chocolate pairing. "The soft, dark chocolate paints a neutral palate to mate perfectly with the Rosa Regale. The chocolate opens the door for the Regale. They balance each other out." This wine also matched well with the Valor 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate with Orange — proof of its versatility.

Bottom line: This effervescent dessert wine paired with any dark chocolate would make the perfect match. Try it also with chocolate desserts or berries.

THE BAR:

Santander Colombian Single Origin Dark Chocolate (70% cacao) with 100% Colombian Espresso Coffee ($1.99)

Proof that you don't need to spend a fortune to buy a fine chocolate. We chose this bar because it boasted "Colombian single origin" on its label. Just as coffee and wine have a terroir that distinguishes them from similar products from other regions, coffee beans have unique regional characteristics. This bar didn't disappoint, delivering both intense dark chocolate and rich espresso flavors.

We also sampled the wines with the Ghirardelli Espresso Escape 60% Cacao bar, but found it too sweet, and a disappointment after the darker chocolate espresso bar.

THE WINES:

Taylor Fladgate 2000 Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Porto ($22.97 for 750 ml)

This richly fruity (sweet) port is an outstanding value, and made for a sophisticated pairing. "The richness of the port with the espresso chocolate is a classic pairing. It accentuates the coffee component of the chocolate and melds in the mouth to make a magical flavor." Another taster was pleased that the port was not too sweet (as some ports can be). The wine has another bonus: With its reusable cork, it keeps well. If you can't find the 2000 vintage, don't panic. Like the Pedro Ximénez sherry, there is consistency in the port style from year to year. Mr. Pinnell says that he'd also consider any of the LBV bottlings of the other major port houses.

Bottom line: An incredible value and a very sophisticated pairing with this espresso-laced chocolate. The least sweet of all the pairings.