Introducing Dave Larocque, wine educator, owner of the consulting firm Wine Culture and now an Artful Winemaker.
Dave has been involved in the wine industry for over 30 years. During his impressive career he has worked for several world class wineries, taught wine appreciation courses and conducted seminars in the fine art of wine and food pairing.
Now Artful Winemakers will have access to Dave’s invaluable wine and food knowledge through regular blog contributions and special events planned for Wine Club members only. Please enjoy Dave’s first installment on pairing wine with chocolate, just in time for Valentine’s Day and find a recipe for his suggested Dark Chocolate Torte in the Cabernet Shiraz food and wine pairing section on ArtfulWinemaker.com under Tips & Tools. Bon Appetite!
Two of my favorite things are wine and chocolate, anytime of the year really, but particularly now with Valentine’s Day approaching. What a great excuse for a little more indulgence. For a great marriage, of wine and chocolate, I look for fruit-forward juicy red wines such as Cabernet – Shiraz and Merlot, and fine quality 50% to 72% cacao, dark chocolate. Most white wines lack the body to stand up to the full flavours of chocolate, therefore medium to full flavored red wine is a better match.
Since higher cacao percentages generally result in less sweet, more intense flavour, dark chocolate is the best choice. (Milk chocolate and white chocolate are often far too sweet and creamy for dry wines, and when eaten together, will often result in the wine tasting thin, weak and less enjoyable.) To best enjoy the wine and chocolate, first sip on the wine slowly to savor the rich fruit flavours, then taste the chocolate and let it melt in your mouth, then sip some more wine. Enjoy the complexity of flavours as they mingle together.
For a little more excitement, I try matching some dried fruits and nuts along with the wine and dark chocolate. Dried figs or dried blueberries dipped in dark chocolate make a Cabernet- Shiraz come alive. Dark chocolate covered almonds or dried cranberries will make your Merlot magnificent. Experiment with other dried fruits and nuts for your perfect marriage.