Pairing chocolate and wine has become a favorite ritual for many. It's easy to do, and it makes a perfect plan — as a gift, or as an experience to share with friends and family.

Here are a few tips for pairing wine and chocolate, so you get the most out of their notes and aromas.

TIPS:

1. The more cacao in the chocolate, the more intense the wine should be.

For dark chocolate — rich in cacao solids and therefore more intense in cacao flavor — we recommend a red wine, such as a Malbec or a Cabernet Sauvignon.

White chocolate contains no cacao solids, which makes it sweeter, and its high cocoa butter content gives it a creamy texture. Here we recommend drier, fruitier wines like a Chardonnay.

2. Take your time with each element, from its aromas to its tasting notes.

Engage all five senses — smell, sight, taste, touch, even hearing — and savor each bite.

Taste the chocolate first, then the wine, and finally let the two meet on your palate to complete the experience.

Between tastes, cleanse your palate with a sip of water.

3. Finally — the order you taste your chocolates in matters.

If you're pairing several wines with several types of chocolate, start with white chocolate and finish with dark. Milk chocolate goes in between. The intensity of the cacao builds gradually, so you can appreciate each chocolate's notes — and remember to sip water between each element you taste.