A friend of mine recently told me about Brix Chocolate, a line of chocolate that has been specially formulated to complement wines. I was skeptical because I have never particularly liked wine and chocolate together, unless it was a port-style wine and chocolate. I immediately went to the Brix Chocolate website and ordered a variety pack. The chocolate comes in three varieties – milk chocolate (40% cacao), medium dark chocolate (60% cacao) and extra dark chocolate (70% cacao). All varieties of the chocolate are formulated from cacao from Ghana.
I tried the milk chocolate first. It is recommended that the milk chocolate be paired with Port, Ice Wine, Rose, Pinot Noir and Burgundy. We had some Ice Wine that was open in the refrigerator so I tried the two together. I was quite pleasantly surprised. The chocolate did not make the wine taste bitter or acidic at all; in fact, the combination was really good! The next day, I tried it again with a Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. Again, a great pairing.
It is recommended that the medium dark chocolate be paired with Zinfandel, Syrah, Rhone, Merlot or Sherry. I tried it with a glass of 1998 Swanson Napa Valley Syrah. Again, a good pairing. This surprised me, as I was expecting the taste of the wine to be drastically changed by the chocolate. Instead, I got complexity and harmony from the pairing that I did not expect.
A couple of days later, I tried the extra dark chocolate (which is recommended for pairing with Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux or Barolo) with a glass of one of my favorite Cabernets. I thought the pairing was okay, but I think that the tannins in the Cabernet seemed a bit sharper after the chocolate. I am looking forward to trying the extra dark chocolate with a Barolo next for comparison. And maybe with a Zinfandel – I think that combination might work, too.
Yesterday, I was in the Napa Style store in Napa Valley and discovered that they carry Brix chocolate, too. You can also order it from the Brix Chocolate website.