Sweet Chocolate Wine

Chocolate wine sounds like one of those things that seem impossible to make, let alone exist. So it really came as a surprise to me that it actually has been around for a long time and has been given some sort of reincarnation by Heston Blumenthal, one of the most acclaimed chefs in the world (and three Michelin stars to prove it).

Honestly I still can’t wrap my head around it. Will it be like other sweet dessert wines? Will it be chocolate-y? How much is it? Certainly, if you really want a good chocolate wine, you have to start with first and foremost good wine, and then of course good chocolate. And how does one make chocolate wine?

Chocolate wine is actually served as a dessert, at least in Blumenthal’s restaurant, and it’s quite an unusual thing. In the olden days, chocolate wine is made by whisking port or claret with sugar and chocolate. Modern winemakers have tried their hand with making actual chocolate-laced wine with varied results. This is done by adding chocolate extract to various types of wine, including port and zinfandel. Sometimes fruit flavors are added for a truly unique sweet treat. Needless to say, these all fall under the category of sweet wines are consumed with or as dessert.

Making chocolate wine at home is relatively easy – at least the process is. The trick to making a truly delectable chocolate wine, as mentioned, is having great wine and chocolate to start with. You could also experiment with different chocolates and different wines, even some fruit, but it is really best to keep it simple and stick to a basic recipe.

Speaking of recipe, we have one here for you to try:

(Source: Times Online)

— Bring wine to boil. Set it alight and allow flame to burn off. Boil until liquid becomes syrupy and reduces to 150ml

— Grate or finely chop chocolate and put to one side. In a separate pan, bring milk slowly to the boil, pour it over the chocolate and stir

— Add reduced wine to the chocolate milk, heat and froth using a whisk or hand blender. Serve immediately

The Red and the White

Truth be told, it is almost impossible to have one select category from which you can include all the wine that is being created today. There exists many different categories that use different criteria to group and differentiate wines from another. Do you want it by color? By sweetness? Or do you want it by region (European wine, South American wine, Australian wine, etc)? The possible classifications are as numerous as the number of wines themselves, so for brevity we will stay with the two main wine categories – red and white – so that you can come out from this post with a working knowledge of wines and wine matching, especially if you are about to plan a meal and want to have wine on the menu.

Red Wine

· Glass – having the proper red wine glass will ensure that the properties of the wine will show through much better than in other glasses. A proper red wine glass has an oval- or egg-shaped bottom that narrows down at the top. It must accommodate around 10-22 ounces of liquid and must leave ample room for you to swirl your wine around the glass, thus exposing it to air (allowing it to “breathe”)

· Serving Temperature – it varies with the actual red wine variety but it is usually between 60-65 degrees F. Warmer than that and you will really taste the alcohol, colder than that and the wine will taste bitter.

· Wine Matching – foods that go with red wine are generally those that have bolder, more rounded flavors. Use the following guide as a general reference:

o Cabernet Sauvignon: duck, spicy beef, pate, rabbit, roasts, spicy poultry, cheddar, blue cheese, sausage, kidneys

o Pinot Noir: braised chicken, cold duck, rabbit, charcuterie, partridge, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, truffles, Gruyeres

o Merlot: braised chicken, cold duck, roasted turkey, roasted beef, lamb, veal, stew, liver, venison, meat casseroles

o Shiraz: braised chicken, chili, goose, meat stew, peppercorn steak, barbequed meat, spicy meats, garlic casserole, ratatouille

White Wine

· Glass – white wine is served in narrower, sometimes taller glasses in order to concentrate the aromas of such delicate white wines at the tapering part of the glass.

· Serving Temperature – typically colder than that of red wine, at around 45-50 degrees F. Of course there are differences depending on which type of white wine, so better consult with experts if you want exact serving temperatures.

· Wine Matching – more delicate flavors, such as those of fish and chicken, are classically the perfect match for white wine. Some varietals are suited to much stronger flavors also and have the body of red wine at times. Be guided by the reference below:

o Chardonnay: seafood with butter sauce, chicken, pasta with cream sauce, veal, turkey, ham, Emmenthal, Gruyeres, Port-Salut

o Riesling: mild cheese, clams, mussels, Asian dishes, sashimi, ham, pork, lobster Newberg, Tandoori chicken, Coquilles St Jacques

o Sauvignon Blanc: oysters, grilled or poached salmon, seafood salad, Irish stew, ham, chevre, goat cheese and strongly flavored cheeses, asparagus quiche

Gewurztraminer: spicy dishes, Thai food, curry, smoked salmon, pork and sauerkraut, Muenster, spiced/peppered cheeses, onion tart

A Wine Tasting at Home with Friends

For most people, they only get to go to wine tastings at certain special food and wine events or in vineyard tours. While these are perfect places to hold wine tastings, one wonders if bringing wine tastings closer to people especially if you have friends whom you want to introduce to the different nuances of wine or to new wines that you have encountered. But what to do if you can’t drag your friends over to vineyards or bring them to events? Why, hold a wine tasting in your home, of course.

Wine tasting works wonderfully well when you are introducing wine appreciation to people who want to start drinking wine or want to know more about it. It doesn’t even have to be particularly expensive since there are a lot of great-quality inexpensive wines. You can buy a sampling of these wines to introduce some close friends to the art of wine drinking and appreciation. You may want to choose the best wines from that low price point – and there are surprisingly great wines at unbelievable prices.

If you are already a wine drinker, you will already have the proper wine glasses to go with whatever wine you want to have a wine tasting for. Assuming you will only have a small group of friends over, your glassware will be enough. You will need to educate your visitors about the importance of using the right glass and stemware.

With regards to the actual wine tasting, there are three stages. First is its appearance. Characteristics such as color and clarity will have to be observed for both red and white wine varieties. What’s the color of the wine? For white wines, is it colorless, yellow, amber, etc? Is your red wine burgundy, purple, dark red, or almost brown? Assess the clarity by observing whether it is clear, cloudy, opaque, brilliant, etc.

Next comes the aroma of the wine. Before you taste the wine, you have to smell it first. Stick your nose down into your glass and inhale. Describe your first impressions. Is it woody or fruity? Sharp? Do you smell flowers or citrus? Different wines have different characteristics with regards to their aroma, and with practice you would be able to discern each more easily.

Finally, we now come to actually tasting the wine, but even this has three stages, namely: The attack, evolution, and finish.

The attack refers to your first impression upon the wine hitting your palate.

The evolution refers to the middle range phase, or mid-palate, and is the actual taste of the wine. In this stage you start to discern flavors — whether they are fruity, spicy, woody, etc. Do you taste herbs and flowers?

The finish is wine tasting’s final phase. In this stage you observe for the aftertaste or how long the flavor profile stays after you swallow it. You also assess the body of the wine, whether it is light-bodied like water, medium-bodied like milk, or even full-bodied like cream. This is called the mouth feel. You also want to observe for the last flavor impression and whether it lasts for a short or long time.

All these descriptions come together to become your overall impression and observation of a certain type of wine. You may want to write these observations down so you could come back to it later on. In time and with practice you’ll be able to compare different observations and describe different wines more easily based on the ones you have previously had.

California Wine Clubs

Wine clubs are a great way to take part in a greater wine tasting and consuming community that exists out there. It is also a great way to introduce wine to people who just started gaining interest in them, or introducing new wine types and brands to people who may not have otherwise known about it.

There are many wine clubs that exist nationwide and some of these even cater to a greater audience and have international members as well. As there are many types of wine, so are wine clubs. Some deal with only white wines, some only red; some deal with only wines from California, some have a selection from all over the world. Wine clubs also help support smaller local wineries by putting them on their wine of the month list. Some wine clubs also exist in order to promote the small boutique, usually family-run wineries in their respective areas.

For today we will go with California wine clubs because California’s Napa Valley is a very big exporter of quality wines. It is also a good starting point when delving into the world of wine clubs. And like most other wine clubs, membership to any one of them has a lot of perks. You can also choose the frequency you receive wines (monthly, quarterly, some send out bottles only twice a year) and the type of wine that is being sent you. Some California wine clubs don’t have restrictions on the type of wine sent; meaning, you can receive either white or red wine, depending on what the board has chosen for that sending period. Others are exclusive only to white wine, others to red.

Many of these wine clubs are also online. It is good to check the sites out and see if you agree with their policies, their selections, and if you are satisfied with the perks they offer. Check around with people who are in wine clubs and ask them about their experiences. Certainly a lot of them have something to say, and listen to them even if they are saying not-so-good things about a club that you have already chosen in your head. It’s good to objective particularly about something you’re going to send money too. A good wine club experience also has something to do with the vigilance you have when choosing them.

There are many wine clubs in California and this is a good place to start. You may also want to check out other wine club directories in order to see as many options as possible. Good luck to you on your wine club hunt!

A Simple Lesson on Gift Baskets

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Gift baskets make wonderful gifts any time of the year. They provide a lot of wonderful things that your intended receiver could actually use. There are also many ideas on what to put in gift baskets, and you can certainly customize your own by placing what you think your recipient would like. Add a few personal touches and you have the perfect gift basket.

While like most things some people are just more talented at putting together gift baskets or knowing what type to give, some people are not. So thankfully some stores have taken it upon themselves to assemble some gift baskets for you to choose from. These range from wine gift baskets or its more glamorous cousin, the champagne gift basket, to gourmet gift baskets with lots of gourmet food stuff, even those gift baskets with occasion-appropriate items such as baby shower gift baskets or get-well-soon gift baskets. There is no limit to what you can put into these things.

If you’re clueless about gift baskets or what gift baskets to give, your safest bets are gourmet gift baskets and wine gift baskets. They are the most appreciated and contain the most loved things.

Gourmet Gift Baskets – I think these gift baskets are particularly thoughtful. They contain items that people may want to try but don’t really have the time or resources to buy; it could also have things that the recipient loves. Contents of gift baskets range from high-quality olive oil, cheeses, pate, chocolate, tea, coffee, fruit, and several other things. It’s a no-fail because it’s either people already love the stuff or they have wanted to try these things long ago. The “gourmet” also makes a world of a difference because it makes people think they are consuming something a bit more special, which it is.

Wine Gift Baskets – Wine gift baskets are a great gift to both wine newbies and wine connoisseurs alike. Together with the wine bottle are some accompaniments that could add to the enjoyment of the wine/s that you sent over in the gift basket. Things such as crackers, cheese, chocolate, and grapes are the usual companions of a bottle of wine in a wine gift basket. It’s more luxurious cousin, the champagne gift basket, also includes much of the same things but takes an air of luxury, owing to the fact that it is champagne they are being paired with. Other things you can include in wine or champagne gift baskets are accessories such as wine stoppers, corkscrews, even an ice bucket to chill the wine in.

These are but two of the popular gift baskets people are giving out. There are more varieties and almost everything can be personalized. Many can also be ordered online and shipped and delivered wherever you are. You can even have it arranged to be shipped to the recipient, and many offer the service to have it tastefully gift wrapped. In the world of gift baskets, you have a world of options.

What to Put in a Champagne Gift Basket

Of all the gift baskets that one can give away or receive, a champagne gift basket will certainly be the most welcome. Who can resist champagne? Just the mere mention of champagne evokes a party. It’s just more fun when champagne is around.

A beautifully presented champagne gift basket is one of the nicest things that you can give away, perhaps as a hostess gift to a very special dinner. It can be costly, so I can only assume that the recipient has to be someone really special or really dear to you. Like all things these days, you can purchase a ready-made champagne gift basket from just about any wine store, even the ones online. If you want to keep costs down but still be able to give something special, you can assemble your own.

Together with the champagne of your choice, you can include other things that will go with champagne when it is consumed. Some suggestions:

• Dark chocolate – find one that’s at least 60% cacao to counteract the sweetness of the champagne
• Strawberries – strawberries and champagne? Talk about something decadent!
• Good quality orange juice or better yet, fresh oranges – just in case they want to make mimosas later on
• Cheese – gouda, mild cheddar, and brie, among others, are perfect accompaniments to a glass of champagne
• Crackers – it will give the recipient something to nibble on, or they may eat it with cheese as they sample the champagne
• Other fruits – many people agree and suggest that raspberries, peaches, melons, and other fruits complement champagne beautifully
• Nuts – as with cheese, their salty-nutty flavor greatly complements the flavors in champagne

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