wine and chocolats

"The greatest tragedies were written by the Greek Sophocles and English Shakespeare. Neither knew chocolate." - Sandra Boynton

Good chocolate is like a “kiss of the one you really love” a “caress of sun and angels” but the real base of chocolate is cacao, sugar and milk sometimes. A strong taste bitter, powerful, the torrefaction and the provenance will alter is taste. So, which wine with it???

Champagne ? A vintage rose for small chocolate-mousse cake.Vintage Rich (sweeter) for milk chocolate lait Craquelin form Bouquets of chocolates or “Poire belle Helene”, a sweeter touch to a sweeter hearth.

White wine ?A Loire white saumur or layon for pain au chocolat Anjou as well for peach chocolate tart with silk because “Nothing is more romantic than chocolate “

Red wine ?with already cacao aroma as in a Pommard or a madiran. A new world Zinfandel is the obvious choice for chocolate cakes. Pinot noir from new world tends to be perfect for milk chocolate, Madagascar 70% (forasteros and trinitarios mix), creamy mousse or chocolate cheesecake a Cabernet or merlot from Chile as well for milk chocolate. So next time keep a little bit of your wine for dessert, as we say chocolate is not a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate.

Porto ? Tawny port with Chocolate cake, An older vintage ( at least more 20Y) for dark chocolate as a good one from Ivory coast. The darker the better, there will be less sweet and more rich in cacao taste that the sweetness of port balance perfectly, the perfect recipe to heaven (chocolate) without any ambarrassement to make the conversation.

Sherry ? Pedro Ximenez, full of rich raisin and toffee is the one to try with chocolate and vanilla ice-cream or a white chocolate

Sweets ? Banyuls from France or Recioto from Italy for dark deep chocolate dessert, muscat or recioto for black forest, if its an orange cake try with tokaji or orange muscat from Australia, Berry with chocolate cake need a Maury from France. For a Mousse take a Moscato d'asti. A Riesling is always nice with a light chocolate desserts grd crus for dark chocolate (Sao Tome), rivesalte with a Grenache base as well. If you are lucky a “Vergine Stravecchio The final classification of Marsala ” with 10 years in oak are sublime with chocolate (so perfect for you as you are...). If you are curious a Mavrodafni from Cephalonie in Greece with figues, plum, coffee and chocolate flavor, all the pleasure of that long sun bath along the beach without the noise of the kids next door or the fat block.

Whiskey ? You need a strong butter, caramel, grilled almond so a Speyside sherry cask like a Macallan 18 will be perfect with a ginger milk chocolate to reveal a new world of Spyciness .......for you...and him.....!!. Bushmill's Malt works perfectly, try the Monkey Shoulder's with light preparation. Or a bourbons, with long cask vanilla, wood underlying like a Bulleit.

And for the real “fans” a Stout will always work , warm if possible to give a balance in amertume and alcohol.

And finally if you don't drink alcohol (maybe it is not your fault!!) water really neutral (nothing fancy). Coffee need something well balance and soft as a Venezuela Amer (70%cacao) only. For the tea Oolong tea are the perfect match with praline. Darjeeling or Assam with cakes. Lapsang Souchon with a spices chocolate.

And don't forget "My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far I've finished two bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." – Dave Barry

“Bon appetit !”

As long as I live I will eat and drink The grief of loving You. I will never give it up to anyone Even when I am dead. Tomorrow At the Resurrection I will walk forward with this violent thirst Still storming my head.