It may seem strange—pairing wine with chocolate, but when you think
of wine or chocolate separately, don't these things make
you happy?
So...why not bring the two together and be twice
as happy? Wine and chocolate actually have
an awful lot in common if you really think about it. They
are both some of the greatest pleasures on earth, are they
not?!?
But, not only this...
Both wine and chocolate have different styles, taste qualities and come from different geographic regions which greatly influence their flavors. Another interesting thing they have in common is the fermentation process, believe it or not!
I know, I know, let's move on to the most interesting part
and what you really want to know about – tasting the
two together...
All five of our senses will be utilized to enhance the
pleasure of combining wine and chocolate.
First, pour the wine into the glass, swirl and breathe it in a bit. Then take a piece of chocolate, hold it under your nose and smell that as well.
Second, take a sip of the wine – suck some oxygen into your mouth, so that the wine can rinse over all parts of your tongue, reach all of your taste buds and swallow. Now, take a bite of the chocolate, let it mix with the last drops of wine that remain in your mouth and under your tongue. You will get an explosion of flavor in your mouth – a totally new taste experience!
Dare we say...a near orgasmic experience???
Now, take another bite of chocolate, let it melt in your mouth and take another sip of wine.
Can you feel the fireworks yet???
Doesn't this sound wonderful?
But, be careful. Even though the rules of wine pairing have become much less stringent over the years, you should still follow some simple rules in order to make your wine and chocolate experience as pleasurable as possible.
- The wine should be at least as sweet or maybe even a
touch sweeter than the chocolate you are serving.
- You should match lighter, more elegantly flavored chocolate
with lighter-bodied wines and stronger chocolates with
more full-bodied wines. The stronger the chocolate, the
more full-bodied the wine should be. For instance, a heavier
California Zinfandel would pair very nicely with a stronger,
bittersweet dark chocolate.
- Don't forget: The wrong combination
will destroy all the delicate and typical fruit characteristics
of the wine and will leave you with nothing but harsh
acidity.
You should start a wine and chocolate tasting from light to dark, suggestion:
White Chocolate: Turns out usually sweeter
and more buttery in flavor because white chocolate has no
cocoa solids from the chocolate liquor. A nice wine partner
would be a sweeter style light wine like our Schlink Haus
Dornfelder, our St. Christopher wines like the Kabinett,
Spaetlese and Auslese as well as any of our dessert wines
– like Nittnaus Premium Eiswein, Beerenauslese, etc... Even
a sweeter style sparkling wine like our Schloss Koblenz
Cabinet Sekt would be a nice match.
Milk Chocolate: As you can tell by the
name, milk is added to the typical ingredients of cocoa
powder, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and sugar. It turns
out a bit smoother and makes a perfect partner to all lighter
and medium bodied wines such as our Turn Me Red, St. Christopher
Gewurztraminer, Turn Me Riesling or even a lighter bodied
Merlot.
Dark Chocolate: Usually more strongly
flavored and kind of bittersweet in taste. Cabernet Sauvignons
and Zinfandels would match nicely with dark chocolate—or
any wine that is dryer styled with hints of oak.
We hope you have lots of fun trying this new experience and surely you will find out how well these two delicious delights go together.
ENJOY!
Wine and Chocolate (92
KB)
