“Don’t wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty. Chocolate isn’t like premarital sex. It will not make you pregnant. And it always feels good” – Lora Brody.

As it’s the season to binge on chocolate, I thought we could take a wee look at some alcoholic companions. Let’s face it, this isn’t the time to worry about hips and thighs so you may as well enjoy it.

There’s all sorts of recommendations on the web, some of which I agree with but here’s a few ideas that left me feeling warm and fuzzy in my determination to find the perfect partner for your egg. Let’s start with milk chocolate as that produces the largest number of Easter eggs in the UK. If you’re a white wine fan then you want something with a bit of crisp acidity and fruit, but not too much in the way of oak, so the perfect partners for me are Viogner and Pinot Grigio, and as Viogner is definitely cool right now, let’s go with that. The best ones without doubt are coming from South America and Australia right now and you should be looking for something with a bit of muscle to the body.

If your preference is a darker wine, then Merlot, Pinot Noir or Tawny Port go perfectly with milk chocolate. Yes, I did use the P-word outside the Christmas season, but port isn’t just for December, and the Tawnies add a delicious caramel touch to the chocolate.

Dark chocolate is gaining in popularity these days, especially since reports came out a few years ago saying that it’s good for your brain, so if you’re going dark this Easter aim for the big boys like a good late-bottled vintage port, a rich sexy PX Sherry or – if you prefer less alcohol – a Barolo or Zinfandel. You need a bit of punch in your wine to pair it with dark chocolate, and as a rule the more cocoa content the bigger the punch needed by your palate.

There are of course some folk who never grew out of their Milky Bar kid days, so if your egg is of the lighter variety, try it with a Provence Rosé, an Alsace Riesling, or better still, take it back and get a decent egg!

Anyway, I’m about to tickle my fancy with a Rocky Road Egg from Hotel Chocolat and I’ve got a cracking 20 year old Tawny to pair it with. Pip pip!

GERARD’S CHOICES

  • Pocas 20-year-old Tawny Port: Imagine raisins soaked in caramel, then add copious amounts of alcohol and a touch of cream to the finish and you will understand why I put a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign up when I started on my egg! Richardson’s of Whitehaven, half bottles £25.
  • Allegrini Corte Amarone: If you’ve got a dark egg, then this crack from Nick’s lovely shop in Cockermouth is perfect. Full on but rounded on the finish. Its like being hugged and it just envelops the cocoa so well. Shill’s of Cockermouth, £35.