Andrea's Pairings

I've been less of a believer in chocolate and Port pairings than a lot of my sommelier colleagues - I've thought the match was good, not great. But while Hoover-ing a couple of Easter chocolates I decided to take try a match recently recommended to me by the folks at Graham's Port. It's their Graham's Six Grapes Port, a ruby-style "reserve" Port (meaning the wine has passed an official tasting panel assessment for quality). The dark chocolate I tried with it was bittersweet, about 70% cacao. The match was extraordinary for two reasons. First, the wine was not over-sweet, which kept the pairing from being cloying. In fact, the finish flavors on your palate aren't sugary at all, but rather rich and smoky. Second, the bitter edge in the chocolate made a fabulous contrast with the fruit in the wine, really bringing it to the forefront. Perhaps the best news of all is that Graham's Six Grapes is inexpensive - so splurge on the chocolate and get a high-quality one. Enjoy!

Labels: chocolate