Winey Tasting Notes: Chocolate and Wine
We are a few days out from Valentine’s Day, which means that all our Winey hearts are turning in one general direction: wine and chocolate. A classic combo if ever there was one. And yet it seems that everyone has an opinion on how to pair them with each other. The first words that comes to my mind are “constantly and abundantly”. But I’m guessing that we’d all like to get a bit more specific than that. I mean, why ruin perfectly good chocolate or perfectly good wine by making them play nice together when they simply cannot.
A lot of folks will tell you that sweet wine pairs better with chocolate. Others will tell you that big reds can be paired with sweet chocolate. Or that you should never pair an extremely dry wine with chocolate at all. Yikes. Lots of opinions, lots of decisions.
It will come as no surprise to you then, that some inspired soul went out and developed a line of chocolate made to pair with wine. It’s called Brix and I was lucky enough to get a sample of their Dark Smooth Chocolate, along with a bottle of Banfi’s Rosa Regale (2012, 7%, Italy). Rosa Regale is the perfect wine for Valentine’s Day – it’s all pretty and pink and bubbly and it has a rose on the label. (Don’t judge me here, I love a frilly Valentine, especially when it is inside a wine bottle.) The Brix box suggested that this particular chocolate (there are 4 varieties) would pair well with Champagne, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Vintage Port. So since Rosa Regale is bubbly and berry sweet (think strawberry and orange blossom and elegant little bubbles), it promised to be a yummy outcome.
First, I sipped the wine. Then I had some of the chocolate. It was a very mellow dark chocolate, by the way. Then I sipped some wine with the chocolate. The combo gave the wine a bit more of a sharp taste – more cherry than strawberry. It almost changed the texture of the wine, in that the bubbles felt different when the chocolate hit them. (Although this could also have been the amount of chocolate in my mouth. I truly have no self control went it comes to a gourmet block of chocolate. And I’ve grown to accept this about myself, OK?) Either way, I did love the bubbles paired with the smooth texture of the chocolate. The chocolate took on a bit more creaminess while the wine took on a deeper flavor. Pretty cool!
Not being in any way, shape or form research minded, I nevertheless decided to do a few more chocolate tests in order to make my pairing experiment a bit more chocolately scientific. I gathered up some semi-sweet chocolate. (OK, yes, it was in the shape of morsels. Come on, you can’t tell me you all don’t raid the baking cabinet when you desperately need a chocolate fix. It’s like every Mom’s secret stash.) This time the strawberry flavors of the wine were pretty much gone. The wine took a tangy, citrusy flavor.
And then I went for milk chocolate. Full disclosure here: this is my favorite kind of chocolate. In total opposition to the rest of the Winey Family, who love their dark chocolate. So I had to delve into my stash. And the combo of the sweeter milk chocolate with the sweet fizzy wine was NOT the way to go. The wine and the chocolate both lost their flavor. The finish did have a raspberry taste to it, but until then – nothing.
So I learned a few things here: I can’t imagine any dry white wine going well with this chocolate. A sweeter Riesling would be fine though. Dark chocolate with a sweeter wine is heavenly. I think the milk chocolate needed a red wine (to make it more like my favorite chocolate treat: chocolate cherry cordials) as its partner. And the milk chocolate. Hmm…this is tough. I need to do a LOT more testing I think. By the way, the Brix folks suggest that their very dark chocolate be paired with a big red, but I am going to reserve judgement until I try it. So Winey Hubby, take note!
Let me know if you have a favorite wine and chocolate pairing. I am looking for testing options!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Cheers!
I was given this wine and chocolate for review purposes. The opinions are all my own.
