Wine and chocolate, how can you go wrong? These are two foods that certainly bring pleasure to life. You might say that these are very different, but there are plenty of similarities in the two.
They start as agricultural products: grapes and seeds. The end products that we enjoy are affected by the varieties of the grapes and seeds used as well as the terroir, which is the combination of the climate, soil type and topography of where they are grown, all of which shine through in their different flavor profiles. In both wine and chocolate, the production process post-harvest involves fermentation. Wine is produced by fermenting grapes, yeast converting sugar into alcohol. Cacao seeds have an intensely bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop their wonderful flavor.
It is a tough job, but someone has to do it, so I put myself to the task of tasting local wine and chocolate. To arm myself with some chocolate to pair with wine, I first met with local chocolatier Lucienne Cruvellier. Cruvellier has a marvelous array of chocolates of different flavors and textures, many truly unique. Her chocolates have been featured at the 2011 Academy Awards, Cannes Film Festival, and the Emmy Awards, and she is based in Jacksonville, New York.
So with some of Cruvellier's chocolates in hand, along with a few of my standard chocolate favorites, I hit the wineries. The first stop was Bloomer Creek Vineyard on Seneca Lake, where Kim Engle chose some of his favorite wines to pair with the chocolate. We worked out some great combinations with several of his wines including Café Red, Vin d'ete '08, and Gewürztraminer ‘08. Notably, the Gewürztraminer was absolutely delicious with Lucienne's 70% Dark Chocolate Bar with Rosemary and Lemon.
The two reds went great with several of Lucienne's chocolates including dark chocolate pistachio and ginger bark, 70% dark chocolate bar with cinnamon and cayenne, dark milk chocolate bar with sesame, over the top biscotti and Lindt Extra Fine Dark Chocolate with sea salt.
The next stop was Sheldrake Point on Seneca, where Christine McAfee helped us with a few wine suggestions. The Merlot '09 went along very well with Lucienne's 70% Dark Chocolate Bar; the wine and chocolate were enhanced, often bringing out the fruit, smokiness, nutty or spice flavors in both. It is worth noting that the Lindt with sea salt was not a good pairing with this Merlot.
Continuing along the eastern shores of Seneca Lake, we next stopped at Damiani Wine Cellars to see Lou Damiani and found that their Pinot Noir went along really well with the Lucienne's cinnamon cayenne 70% and the Lindt with sea salt, again enhancing the spice and fruit of each. Visitors can also experience Damiani with Hedonist Artisan Chocolates from Rochester.
Ravines Wine Cellars on Keuka Lake has worked with Hedonist Chocolate to create two chocolate lovers experiences. The "Classic Tasting" included Chardonnay 2008 with Demi-sec milk chocolate leaf with sesame oil, gray Balinese sea salt and toasted sesame seeds; Cabernet Franc 2009 with dark chocolate drop with dried cranberries and dried orange zest; Meritage 2008 with bittersweeet chocolate truffle with Ravines Meritage blended into the rich ganache center for pure decadence!
And the "Eclectic Tasting" (which changes from time to time) currently includes Chardonnay 2008 with Creamy Caramel made with Pittsford Dairy cream; Keuka Village Red 2010 with dark chocolate with rosemary and pink peppercorns; and Meritage 2008 with dark chocolate truffle infused with Finger Lakes Distillery Cream de Cassis and Finger Lakes black currants.
Another wonderful place to visit is Ports of New York right here in Ithaca, where we found the atmosphere and the proprietor Frédéric Bouché to be were warm and welcoming. Here I had the chance to pair some very nice spirited wines produced from traditional Port vinification methods. His red Meleau paired nicely with Lucienne's Brownie Bar and dark chocolate frogs. The white Meleau paired very nicely with the following chocolates from Lucienne: hazelnut praline, dark milk chocolate, milk chocolate sesame bark, and dark chocolate with dried cherries and toasted almonds.
Christian Therion, another chocolatier in the area, also has some lovely handmade chocolates that are sure to please. He makes very intriguing flavors ranging from hot Peruvian, black tea, coffee, passionfruit and salt caramel. Sure to please!
The best thing about pairing wine and food is that it is a subjective experience. A good pairing is when both the wine and food are enhanced. I would love your feedback. Some pairings may work for you and some may not. Visit my blog: wineandfoodwithannemarie.blogspot.com, and leave constructive comments.
Enjoy your tasting!
Welcome to the discussion.