What Is It About Red Wine And Chocolate?



Bittersweet and SemiSweet Chocolate
with yummy Jack Syrah from Saviah



I was looking back on my old articles and noticed that over the years I have written three articles on “Red Wine & Chocolate”. The funny thing was that when I wrote those articles, each time I was talking about events and not about the actual reason behind why we eat chocolate with red wines.

Actually, I hadn’t really thought about it quite frankly. Everyone always just eats chocolate with red wine. There are always the big events that happen around Valentines season. But, those are just a marketing gimmick to get you into a tasting room somewhere and buy some wine from a starving winemaker.

My question goes a lot deeper. What makes red wine and chocolate so tasty? Why do we even go so far as to manufacture and drink wines that are chocolate? (Personally, I think the whole chocolate wine thing is nasty, but there are people who buy and drink a lot of the stuff.) Also, for those of us who have failed at this, what is a good pairing verses a bad pairing.

Part of understanding of paring wine with chocolate has to do with the astringency and strength of both the wine and the food. Some dark chocolates can be very bitter and astringent to taste. On the other hand, some chocolates can be creamy and smooth, such as Swiss milk chocolate. Some chocolate is sweet, and other is relatively bitter. Some is fatty, and other types can be quite dry.

Likewise, there are wines that are also astringent, sweet, bitter, acidic, and fruity depending on the varietal and blend. In doing my research for this article, (no cocoa beans were killed in the making of this column), I found several charts that explained this methodology in detail. The best chart that I found online was written by Karen Hochman in an article on thenibble.com .

Hochman carefully explains different kinds of chocolate and the esters found in that particular kind. She then explains how that pairs with different wines based on their own makeup. For example, Hochman explains that bittersweet chocolate has features of roasted, ashy, woodsy, and nutty notes. This is chocolate that is in the 70% to 100% cacao range. Because of the strong flavors found in this type of chocolate there is a demand for stronger red wines. Dark red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Zinfandel, and Merlot tend to pair better with this type of chocolate.

Semisweet Chocolate has a tendency to pair very well with the same dark red wines as the bittersweet types. Ports and Zinfandels bring out the spices of the chocolate. Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot tend to bring out the nutty and fruit notes of chocolate.

Milk Chocolate is a much sweeter, and higher sugar content type of chocolate. Because of the milk content you will taste more vanilla, brown sugar, and other creamy-caramel flavors. This type of chocolate does not pair with dark wines. Try pairing these with Muscats and Ice Wines. You can also pair milk chocolate with very mature Tawny Ports.

For more in depth pairings I suggest going to Karen’s article at thenibble.com . It is very well written, and a great resource.

Enjoy!

Saviah Wins Best Wine at 30th Annual Washington Wine Competition

Can I just stop for a few moments and gloat a little? Ahh… It just feels so good to be right once in a while.

When I write that a particular wine or wine maker is really doing well I am always amazed how people gloss over and either quickly forget or ignore what I’ve told them. I know that everyone has their favorite little winery that they visit where the winemaker gave them a signed cork, or a piece of 10 year old cheese. But, those aren’t necessarily the ones producing really amazing wines. The ones producing the great stuff are these quiet little vintners that aren’t directly on the beaten path.

Such is the case with my good friend Rich Funk. Funk, who with his wife Anita, owns Saviah Cellars near the Oregon border in Walla Walla is producing some of the most amazing and solid wines of anyone in the region.

I met with Rich a few months ago and he was just preparing to bottle up his new “Jack” Riesling. Another part of his “Jack” line of labels. The wine wasn’t ready to taste when I was in the barrel room then, but Rich was extremely excited about what he was seeing at the time.

The “Jack” is a complete line of mid-priced wines, with a Blend, Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah, and now an addition of a Riesling. I have photographed and tasted every one of these wines at one time or other, with the exception of the Riesling, but I’ve been very excited to give it a try.

Recently, a Facebook friend asked me for Walla Walla white wine recommendations. Without even a second’s thought I told her that the Jack Riesling was a definite must have. That is without even tasting the stuff.

Well, this week the news broke. At the 30th Annual Washington Wine Competition held in Yakima last week the Jack Riesling took home the bank. It won the best overall wine, the Govenor’s Award, and all the top honors.

I am so excited for Rich, and I wish him a complete sell out on this wine. That is, after I’ve had a chance to buy a case myself!

Along with the Riesling, Saviah also received double gold for its 2008 Malbec, and a gold for it’s 2007 Petit Verdot. These are wines that I have tried, and can undoubtedly vouch are absolutely fantastic vintages. I just enjoyed the Malbec on Father’s Day with a fantastic dinner at Tuscany in Prosser.

While the Funks and their crew took several awards, there were also others that should be mentioned. Rob Griffin, winemaker-owner of Barnard Griffin in Richland took home the “Best Red” award with his 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. There were also many double gold awards from Hard Roe To Hoe, Sinclair Estates, Thurston Wolfe, and Walter Dacon Wines.

For a complete listing of the winners I suggest you go online to WinePressnw.com and look up the complete listing. You will find many of the wines that I have already suggested to you over the past year, and probably some more that I will mention again soon.

Enjoy!

Wines I’m Thankful For

So, as I was looking through my past Thanksgiving articles I realized that they’ve all been about pairing wine with turkey. If you don’t know what to pair the turkey with, just buy the most expensive white wine you can find. Buy a bunch of it. If your guests don’t like your choice in wine hit them over the head with the bottle or a turkey leg. Whichever is handiest. That should pretty well cover the turkey pairing issue.

Now, on to what I want to talk about. After all, this article really is about me. Isn’t it?

I was thinking that in honor of Thanksgiving I would write this week on all the great wines that we have right here in our region. Wines that are top rated, and readily available for our consumption. Wines made right here in the Northwest, for Northwesterners. These are wines that you can walk right into the local stores and wine shops to purchase.

I’m not the only one to think that these wines are great. I’m going to reference scores posted by Wine Spectator that are 90 points or above. If you don’t agree with Wine Spectator I think they take your birthday away or something.

The first vintner that I want to recognize is our own home-grown giant Columbia Crest, and their sister Chateau Ste Michelle. The 2005 Columbia Crest Valley Reserve Merlot and the 2008 Ste. Michelle Indian Valley Cabernet Sauvignon have scores of 90. Their cousin wineries of Northstar, Erath, Spring Valley, and Col Solare also have fantastic ratings. Northstar’s 2006 Merlot earned a score of 91. The Erath 2006 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir earned a 91. Spring Valley had a score of 92 for their 2007 Uriah, and a 93 went to the Col Solare 2005 vintage.

Cougar Crest, from Walla Walla has earned a 90 or better score on three of their current vintages. Their 2006 Cabernet Franc and Aniversary Cuvee, as well as their 2005 Merlot all did very well in judging.

Amavi also has three current vintages scoring at 90 points each. Their 2006 Walla Walla Syrah, their 2007 Walla Walla Syrah, and their 2007 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon.

Another Walla Walla vintner that consistently offers up great wines is John Abbott at Abeja. His 2007 vintages of Chardonnay and Merlot offer up absolutely fantastic flavors worthy of great accolades.

L’Ecole No 41 continues to take the wine industry to school year after year with their wines. Currently they have five vintages on the market that have Wine Specator scores above 90. Their 2007 Apogee and Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon both scored 92s this year. Their Seven Hills Merlot and Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon both scored 91, and their 2006 Seven Hills Vineyard Syrah holds its own with a score of 90.

My friend Rich Funk at Saviah earned a very respectable 93 with his 2006 vintage of Une Vallee. This wine is truly amazing, and priced very, very well for the quality. Also, Chuck at Reininger proved his winemaking talents when he scored a respectable 92 on his 2007 Walla Walla Syrah.

This is not a complete list of amazing local wines. I really encourage you to go to our local wine shops and ask for the complete list.

Happy Thanksgiving!

New Wines Unveiled For Spring

One of my favorite times of the year is tax time. No, not because I’m some sort of sadist who likes to give Uncle Sam all my hard earned dough. The reason for my April 15 jubilation is because this is the time of the year that the region’s distributors and vintners get together to host trade tastings.

A trade tasting, is a private, industry only event, usually held at the distributorship. People who work in the wine trade, such as retail shop and restaurant owners, chefs, and the press converge on the tasting and get to sample new vintages available for the season.

On Monday I visited my friends at Graybeal Distributing for their second annual trade tasting. Bigger and better this year than last, the tasting hosted over 90 wines from 23 different wineries. The wines ranged from exquisite selections from Pepperbridge, Walla Walla Vintners, Seven Hills, and Saviah down to a complete line of fun and affordable wines from Barefoot.

My only disappointment that day was a severe shortage of local shop owners, who failed to make an appearance. My suggestion is that you go to your favorite local wine shop and tell them that you want these wines on their shelves. They owe it to you to carry them.

The first wines I want to rave on are from Seven Hills. Casey has once again hit it out of the park with his 2007 Riesling. The Riesling has 3% residual sugar this year, giving it a wonderful balance of fruit and acidity. One of my favorites of the day was McClellan’s 2005 Klipsun Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Filled with flavors of dried stone fruit and spice, this is a wonderfully balanced wine.

Gordy at Walla Walla Vintners shared a table of his newest reds. Probably my favorite wine of the day was his 2006 Sagemoor Cabernet Sauvignon. The juice comes from some of the oldest vines in Washington State, with flavors of dark black fruit, chocolate, and a slight sweetness in the tannins. Absolutely delicious! His 2006 Bello Rosso and Sangiovese were also fantastic.

Woodward Canyon shared their 2007 Nelm’s Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, which as always, are amazing wines for their price. The 2006 Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon was arguably another favorite of the day. It has notes of oak and cedar entwined in the flavors of black cherries.

The guys at Basel Cellars were on hand with five of their wines. I was impressed with the affordability of their wines, and suggest that you try both the 2007 “Forget Me Not” white blend, and the 2006 “Claret” red blend. Their 2005 Merriment was another bright spot in the day. This Bordeaux blend of Cab, Merlot, and, Cab Franc drinks nicely now, but will be incredible if you can cellar it for a couple of years.

Cougar Crest unveiled their 2007 Rose’ of Grenache. The intense flavors of black and white pepper, balanced by the fruit and acid will make this wine one of this summer’s regulars at my table and back yard.

Not to be missed, Rich Funk of Saviah poured several of his wines, including his 2006 Cab, which just scored a Wine Spectator 93 this week. You better buy this one quick!

Next week, I’m going to share with you my impressions of the other wines and wineries at the Graybeal trade tasting. Until then…Enjoy!