Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Chocolate, Wine and Women

Written by: Walter Links

I promised the editors of this publication that I would make reading about wine fun, informative and light. For the month of February, I was going to write about old Wine favorites from the past. However, since February is about romance I thought it would be fun to write about Chocolate as well as wine.

Chocolate, ah the smell, the texture and above all the taste, what a great gift from God….that is as well as Wine! God must truly love us because he gave us such great things to enjoy, pleasing our sense of smell, taste and tactile elements in our lives.

Now, most people just think a chocolate bar is a piece of candy. No it is much more for Chocolate has great health benefits as well as wine. For example antioxidants! In cocoa the levels of antioxidants are higher than pomegranates, blueberries, spinach and kale as well as many other antioxidants vegetables. Antioxidants are found in numerous substances, however much more fun when it comes to those things we love to eat and drink, but have always been told they are bad for us. From our parents, to our doctors or from anyone else that had an influence in our lives.

Well, science started proving the ideas of the past all wrong. For example; Chocolate causes acne! Actually, the cocoa is not the culprit here it is the sugar, the dairy products and other fats that contribute to this problem. Why especially in teenagers? Think about it aren't the teenagers going through so many hormonal changes during those years? Chocolate causes cavities; once again, it's the sugars, fat as well other ingredients and poor dental hygiene. Cocoa, actually contains a substance that inhibits the promotion of cavities. Cocoa raises cholesterol; while it is known that cocoa butter does technically contain saturated fat, it has been proven that it does not raise cholesterol in people with normal cholesterol metabolism. Chocolate kills dogs; actually this is true. The amount of chocolate that is toxic varies depending on the cocoa content and the weight of the dog. In cocoa there is theobromine and even small amounts can be difficult for dogs. Their repiratory systems go out of whack. White-chocolate does not contain theobromine, however it is not good to give your dogs any type of sweets.

Now, all of this applies more so to Dark Chocolate than milk chocolate. These bars have a higher amount of cocoa in the bar.

How does all of this relate to WINE? Well, just as important for you to read the label on a bottle of wine, the same applies to chocolate. Wine labels give you the all important elements of a given wine: where it comes from, who made it what type of grapes were used. When looking at a wine label, look for the country of origin, the wine maker, and how long in Oak barrels and of course the vintage. In chocolate, it's the type of vegetable fats that were used in making the bar, where the beans are from. Look for a single origin bar from a specific region and a specific estate. Also look for the amount of dry cocoa solids.

This part is so important, you certainly don't want a chocolate bar that is ten years old. If a wine is in the control of the wine maker on the label, then that means he or she has walked the wine through its process. The same applies to Chocolate producers.

It is better to choose a chocolate bar that has been in the controls of the producer, the process of making that bar for example controlling the cacao seeds from harvesting to the final product, known as bean to bar.

In the U.S. the wine making laws are quite stringent, especially for California and more specifically for Napa Valley. You can no longer (as of about 1975) just blend juices from other areas of the state and label the wine Napa! All the juice must come from Napa Valley. Estate Wines: All juice must come from the property, that is vinefied, bottled and labeled on the property for which it bares the name. If a wine is labeled Cabernet Sauvignon then there must be 75% Cabernet Sauvignon in the bottle and the same holds true to bottles labeled under other varietals.

France is another story. Since the wine makers there bottle by place of origin they can blend other grapes into the wine with any percentage mix they feel necessary. For example, prior to his death, Baron Philippe Rothschild of Chateau Mouton very seldom blended Merlot varietal into his Bordeaux blend. Now that has changed. He had the same philosophy about Opus One, his joint venture with Robert Mondavi. However, when he agreed that Merlot was needed for Opus One the amount was always a very low percentage. Other Paulliac vintners often used high percentages of Merlot to make their wines more approachable at an earlier stage of its life.

With Chocolate, it is the higher percentage of cocoa that is an important number on a dark chocolate bar. The higher the percent of cacao the better the chocolate bar. The absolute best run is between 70 to 77 percent. While it is true that those bars with a dark chocolate percent of 60 to 65 percent is tasty, like a bottle of wine labeled 80% Cabernet Sauvignon it's the 70 percent chocolate that sets the chocolate bars apart.

In assessing dark chocolate look for those familiar characteristics that also describe a fine bottle of wine. Aromas, taste and most important the finish and complexity.

Now, here is where wines come in! Well, one of my most decadent sins is to enjoy dark chocolate with a great bottle of wine. Notice, I stated Dark Chocolate, not milk chocolate. The dark chocolate has a better balance and mouth feel when it comes to wine, it actually can become dessert for the evening. There was a time when wine writers, sales people and such made the statement; "Oh, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and chocolate go great together." Well in my opinion, that couldn't be further from the truth. First it depends on the depth of the dark chocolate, the tannins in the wine, the acidity of the chocolate bar and the acidity of the wine. Cabernet for example has far too high of a concentration of bitter and harsh tannins that fight the sugars in the chocolate bar and not enough acidity for balance. If one is more powerful than the other you do not have a balance nor feel a good sensation in the mouth. My favorite still remains a bottle of 100% Pinot Noir, with a dense dark chocolate torte. Pinot Noir creates a more balanced mouth feel with its delicate tannins and balance of acidity. Even just some dark chocolate morsels with or without fruit therein and a nice Pinot Noir, Syrah or even a Merlot is a great combination. Cabernet Sauvignon's tannins are just too harsh.

Of course the best wine to go with Dark Chocolate is a Brut Champagne or a great Sparkling wine from California. A great bottle of Blanc Noir or Rose even takes it a step further.

Now here is where the women come in! Soft, beautiful sumptuous with aromas of flower petals, and aromatics that just start your head swirling. A woman like a great bottle of wine and a box of dark chocolates, evokes mystery, and excite great taste. What a great way to end the day.

So, guys! This Valentine's Day, go out and buy that special lady in your life a super treat. A box of dark chocolates from a great producer: Paris, very dark chocolate. Lake Champlain Small World Chocolates Sao Thome, (named after the island of Sao Thome where the beans are grown).

Here in the U.S. try http://www.scharffenberger.com/ for some of the best dark chocolate. So, splurge! Give a bottle of great wine and a box of awesome dark chocolates. Yeah, the chocolates may cost you a little more, but who knows what direction it will point you!

Labels: , ,

posted by The Office Grapevine at 9:39 AM 0 comments