Chocolate ,Chocolate, Chocolate–the night was all about Chocolate….and Wine!!
The class started with 4 wines and 4 different types of chocolate, as you can see from the photo. The class voted the best pairing was the Rosecco, a Rosé Prosecco and the white chocolate, but the close 2nd favorite was the milk chocolate with the delicious Ruby Port. Wow, what a way to start a wine class!
We experienced the delicious difference in the creamy delicate white chocolate versus the deep dark, bitterness of the 72% cocoa chocolate with the contrasting sweetness of the milk chocolate. Pairing the wines with these distinctive tastes was fun and quite unique. Our discussion included the way chocolate is made, and it’s very ‘rich’ history with the health benefits of eating chocolate. As if that wasn’t enough chocolate fun, we were then presented with a plate with several delicious bites of food MADE with chocolate. The menu included: Strawberry Arugula salad with Cocoa balsamic dressing, Grilled salmon with white chocolate pink peppercorns, Flank steak with both Chocolate BBQ sauce (used the Chili Powder option here) plus an Ancho Molé, and finally a Chocolate Cabernet Cake with a wine glaze as the dessert. Four more wines were poured to pair with the meal; included Merlot, Zinfandel, an Amarone and a Napa Cabernet, it was decadent.
The three tables of students were busy tasting and sipping, jotting down notes on their favorite combinations. The evening’s best pairing was awarded to the Salad and San Juliette Merlot, the second favorite was the beautiful Amarone with the Steak and Molé sauce, the Cabernet Cake and the Louis Martini Napa Cab had honorable mention.
When all was said and done, glasses empty and plates cleared away, we all agreed it was a truly rich, decadently delicious and fun experience.
