As a salute to Valentine's, I hope you write "Eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done. And if you eat chocolate and enjoy it with wine, you'll really be tempted to do it.
I recently visited Sinfully The Best, an artisan chocolate shop in Steveston to discover what they could recommend for pairing wine with chocolate.
Sinfully the Best may sound like hyperbole, but walk in the front door and you are greeted by Anita Shulz who will offer you a complimentary caramel mousse. One taste and you realize the gourmet quality of these handmade chocolates.
Former pastry chef and accountant, Sinfully The Best's owner, Cathy Cheung, followed her passion for chocolate and opened the store three years ago.
But this artisan chocolate shop has more to offer than just chocolates. Cheung's husband is a wine enthusiast who loves to host tastings. As a result, this chocolatier and her partner have plenty of suggestions on matching wine and chocolate.
"Our goal is to find the chocolate that matches the taste of a particular wine. Match the wine and the chocolate and chocolate to the wine," Cheung explained.
Why does chocolate and wine marry so well? It's all about chemistry.
Red wines and chocolate are both rich in polyphenols which taste bitter and are heart healthy. Furthermore, chocolate contains cocoa butter, which coats the tongue and is a good counterbalance to the puckering bitter effects of the polyphenols and tannins. Both can have complex layers of aromas and flavours, which differ depending on the region it is produced.
At a recent wine and chocolate tasting, Cheung served a Church and State Chardonnay ($25) from the Okanagan, paired with her Sunny Bee ganache.
"We always like to choose at least one fruity wine for people who prefer lighter chocolate with a lemon or honey base," Cheung said. And the wine's vanilla and butterscotch character worked extremely well the semi-sweet dark chocolate.
Next Cheung selected something unusual in a red, a South African Pinotage called The Grinder ($14.99) which smells and tastes like a mocha or an espresso with a hint of wild berry. Not surprisingly, this was delicious with both her raspberry and mocha chocolates.
Then she uncorked an Apothic Red ($16.99) from California. It's a slightly sweet blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot; sweetness in a wine will almost guarantee a match made in heaven. The fruity black cherry and chocolate flavours with cinnamon and clove tasted divine with Cheung's Chai Truffle that had similar flavours.
As a grand finale, Cheung offered a Quail's Gate Botrytis Affected Optima ($29.99 375 mL). This is a succulent late harvest dessert wine, which exhibits classic dried fruit notes of apricot, orange peel and honeycomb. Optima, is best served slightly chilled and paired well with a candied orange dipped in dark chocolate.
As a homework assignment, Cheung gave me another orange chocolate which I thoroughly enjoyed at home with a Taylor Fladgate 2008 Late Bottled Vintage Port ($15.99). The combination was magical! For those who want to explore the enchanting world of chocolate and wine, Sinfully The Best has Tasting Squares, six different types of chocolate with six samples in each category.
They range from caramelized white chocolate to milk chocolate to dark chocolate from different regions with different amounts of cacao, the essence of chocolate.
For $11.95 you can sit down to a do-it-yourself tasting with three or four wines to try with each of the chocolates.
At last, there's a homework assignment you won't mind doing.
It's all about adventure.
"You never know what goes well. Sometimes the oddest piece of chocolate goes well with a particular wine. It's very personal and a social thing, It's fun!" Chueng proclaims.
Sinfully The Best Chocolates & Fine Foods is located at #13, 3993 Chatham Street.
