Good chocolate and good wine have a lot in common. The flavors reflect where the plants are grown, for one thing, and the skills of their makers are reflected greatly in the final products. Even the vocabularies used to describe wine and chocolate are similar.

Dave Owens, the chef well known for his work at Cardwell’s and then at Terrene, and his wife and fellow chef, Margaret Kelly, now work for Bissinger’s. Monday night, they hosted a wine and chocolate pairing class at Bissinger’s new Central West End shop/cafe, at 32 Maryland Plaza.

The pairings started with chunks of solid white chocolate and Saracco Muscato D’Asti 2006, a lightly effervescent Italian wine that, coincidently, Let’s Eat wine columnist Gail Appleson had recommended as a companion to chocolate in her Feb. 13 column.

Then it was on to English toffee dusted with toasted almonds and Broadbent Malsey Madeira 10-year. Yum.

A glaceed orange dipped in dark chocolate was my favorite candy of the night, and a nibble brought out the fruity flavors in Rutherglen Muscat. Cranberry bark — dark chocolate with nuts and dried cranberries was lovely with “Rimage la Coume” Banyuls 2005.

Next we tried two chunks of dark chocolate, with 60 percent and 75 percent cocoa content, and Rombauer Zinfandel 2005. The 60 percent paired best, and the wine was delicious.

Then we moved from candy to a decadent chocolate truffle tart on a swirl of blackberry sauce, which Dave told us was made from the same crop of berries that are dipped and sold in the summer. He served it with Bissinger’s Private Label 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, a lush wine made by Sherwin Family Vineyard.

We moved off subject for the final pairing, a dark chocolate-dipped molasses puff with a Finish beer. Yes, beer: Sinebrychoff Baltic Porter, dark smooth and rich, with flavors reminiscent of dark chocolate, dark fruits, malt and coffee. They were excellent together.

Throughout the event, Dave encouraged us to try the wines with the different confections, experimenting to see how the flavors compared and contrasted. “The reality is that it comes down to what works for you,” he said.

Dave and Maggie also stressed that holding a wine and chocolate pairing would be an easy way to entertain. Get a few wines or as many as one per dessert. “Wines a little sweeter, fruitier than the chocolate work well,” Dave said.

Have plenty of glasses, and encourage guests to talk about what they’re tasting. “It’s great because you don’t have to cook,” said Maggie, the chef.

Then relax and enjoy. As Dave said: “Chocolate’s complex, wine’s complex, but together they can have a really good time.”

(Bissinger’s plans to offer the wine/chocolate pairing classes on the third Monday of each month. The cost is $35 per person; for information, call 314-367-7750 or go to www.ExperienceBissingers.com.)