The Perfect Marriage: Chocolate and Wine
by Judi Sandall
judi.sandall@chefschoolreview.com
Chef School Review Columnist
If there is truth in wine, then, in chocolate, there is love. Wine and chocolate, chocolate and wine; if there’s a more perfect match, I’d like to know what it is. Today’s pastry chef should have at least a passing acquaintance with different wines and a successful sommelier must understand how food and wine interact.
More and more, wineries and restaurants throughout the country are asking their pastry chefs to create chocolate desserts to pair with different wines. Chocolate and wine events like the fall celebration—Chocolate & Red Wine—at the McGregor Vineyard Winery in New York’s visually sensational Finger Lakes region have become increasing popular.
Chocolate Sips
Wilson Creek Winery in southern California invites visitors to taste their chocolate flavored port wine, Decadencia, served in a chocolate shot glass. Half way through the drink, they top it off with almond champagne—echoes of a popular almond and chocolate candy bar. Even Morton’s Steakhouse is getting on the chocolate and wine bandwagon by hosting ‘Sinfully Sweet’ at their Denver location, featuring the chocolate creations of artisan Will Poole from Wen Chocolates. Or oenophiles and chocoholics can take “tasteful travels in Missouri Wine Country” with a Chocolate Wine Trail event where different pastry chefs at the wineries along the ‘trail’ create new chocolate dessert recipes to complement their wineries’ top libations.
Hot Chocolate Choices
Chocolate makers are even offering wine pairing suggestions. On their Web site, Nestlé European Chocolate offers their chocolate edibles with the following wine choices:
- Dark mint chocolate to sweeten a Cabernet Sauvignon
- White chocolate to bring out the fruit accents of a Moscato or Riesling
- Raspberry milk chocolate to amplify the chocolate-cherry flavors of Pinot Noir
- Dark and bittersweet chocolate to mellow out Red Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Ruby Port
Education is Dandy
Matching a sweet chocolate and hazelnut truffle with an aged Tawny Port that balances rich fruit and nut flavors with a honey finish is not a skill you generally learn by yourself. Obtaining a baking and pastry degree or an education in the fine art of being a sommelier can provide the foundation you need to understand the relationship between wine and chocolate. Who knows? With a culinary education under your toque, you might be the pastry chef or sommelier who creates the ultimate wine and chocolate pairing.
Sources
Nestle European Chocolates
Morton’s The Steakhouse
McGregor Winery
Hermann Wine Trail
About the Author
Judi Sandall is a technical writer and a regular Chef School Review columnist. She is a graduate of the State University of New York, with a BA in English Literature.
Posted on February 28, 2007 at 4:27 PM
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