Pour wine, water and sugar in a pot large enough to contain the four pears you have chosen. Also add spices and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, peel the pears, leaving the stem intact, remove the core and trim the base of the pears so that they can easily stand.

Immerse the pears into the red wine syrup, lower the heat and cook for about an hour, covered, checking every now and then. They are supposed to be soft but perfectly intact. Let cool and place into the refrigerator until the next day.

Before serving the pears, remove them from the fridge and bring them back at room temperature. Arrange them on a shallow bowl and drizzle with their syrup.

Melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler, then pour in the hot milk in a thin stream, stirring continuously to create a smooth sauce.

Drizzle the hot chocolate sauce over the pears and serve, bringing to the table other chocolate sauce and spiced syrup for those who want to add more.