How to Taste Wine With Chocolate

Even though chocolate and wine truly are two of the finer things in life, they can be such a cliché together, and I've never thought they pair particularly well with one another. Perhaps that's why I found myself at a wine and chocolate tasting hosted by Scharffen Berger last week; I was hoping someone would prove me wrong. 

Photo: Scharffen Berger. Note (and forgive) my crazy-looking stare in this picture.

We tried four pairings: a New Zealand Pinot with 72% dark chocolate, a Sonoma Zinfandel with 70% bittersweet, a Napa Cabernet with 82% extra dark chocolate, and a Cabernet Franc ice wine with 33% milk chocolate. Were any of the combinations enough to win me over? Honestly, no — in every instance, the chocolate either overpowered the wine, or the wine overwhelmed the flavor of the chocolate, and they didn't match appropriately in sweetness levels. The two, together, still remain a totally overrated match for me. 

What I did learn while I was there, though, was how to taste a pairing of wine and chocolate. To achieve maximum appreciation of both components, there is a right way to taste. 

1. Taste the wine first. Stick your nose in the wine glass and smell. Then take a minute to swirl your wine glass and smell the bouquet again. Take a sip of the wine and move it around in your mouth. Ask yourself: what's the wine smell like? Do I detect any flavors of fruit (cherry, strawberry, blackberry, etc.)? Focus on the finish. Does the wine have high acidity?
2. Then try the chocolate. Break off a small piece of chocolate. Place it on your tongue and allow it to melt, making any notes on flavor (is it citrusy? nutty? dark?) and allowing whatever compounds you detect to linger. 
3. Take another quick sip. While the chocolate compounds still linger on your palate, take another sip of the wine. 
4. Evaluate. Ask yourself: Has the chocolate changed the wine in any way? Does it brighten the fruit flavors of the wine in any way (for example, if the wine had notes of stewed fruit before, do you now detect fresh fruit elements instead)? Does the texture of the chocolate add anything to the texture of the wine (e.g., does it make it more velvety)? 

On a related note, the 41% milk chocolate and the 2008 Inniskillin Cabernet Franc ice wine were both sensational. Maybe we should've tried those two together. Who knows? It could've converted me into a total chocolate and wine lush. 

Current Fixations — July 2014

Since working for myself, I've made a concerted effort to revel in a slower life pace, and have really tried to take the time to soak up my surrounding as I go about my day. With my eyes wide open to discoveries of the culinary kind and otherwise, I've discovered quite a few new obsessions that I'm quickly making a habit of. 

I've spent more than my budget's worth on independent food, fashion, and literary magazines, but my absolute favorite right now is Anthology. It's the perfect mix of aspirational and relatable, with a little bit of everything I'm interested in: travel, food, thoughtful design, reading. 

The bloody Marys at Wood Tavern in Oakland. They've got that whole smoky-chioptle thing going on, and come with a shot of beer as the perfect chaser. While we're at it, their fried cod sandwich is pretty much perfect.

Devoto Cider ($11.99 at Whole Foods) — The Devoto Family learned how to make hard cider in Asturias, Spain, then brought the craft back to their farm in Sebastopol, CA. They make three varieties, ranging from semi-dry to dry, but my favorite is the 1976. Warning: don't expect to NOT through an entire bottle by yourself in one sitting. 

The best bookstand ever: Issues shop in Temescal. It's great that they have Cherrybombe and Kinfolk and Lapham's Quarterly and witty letterpress cards. But when I walked to the back and saw a bin of homemade magazines labeled "ZINES $4," I really knew I had arrived at my happy place. 

Barrel-aged cocktails at Blackbird Bar. Ever had a rhum negroni that's been aged for five years? Neither had I, until I stepped into Blackbird. Co-owner Shawn Vergara had the foresight to put down a bunch of cocktails when the bar first opened and each year after that, and for a limited time, you can try them, too (the drinks are available until they run out). 

The newly-opened Marla Bakery. Everything, from the coffee to the baked goods to the bread to the lunch is solid at Marla Bakery. But if I had to choose one thing from the store, it might be Amy Brown's chocolate chip cookie. I've never had a better rendition. 

Heath Ceramics Factory Tour

On Saturday, Victoria and I hit up the annual Open Studio event at Heath Ceramics in Sausalito. I've long admired the craftsmanship and handiwork that goes into the studio's servingware, tiles, and vases, so I was thrilled when we had a chance to sign up for a tour.

I've visited the Heath outpost at the Ferry Building many times, but discovered that it pales in comparison to the Sausalito store, which offers rows of tiles, glassware, clocks, knives, and artisan pantry items that there isn't room to offer in the Ferry Building space. (Heath was also offering tours that weekend in its Mission-based San Francisco factory, which produces all of the tiles.)

The store also had a well-curated selection of artisan handmade goods as well as print items. I could've planted myself there for hours reading indie magazines like Anthology, Monocle, and Kinfolk. 

There were tons of second quality and showroom samples marked down, plus the entire store was 15 percent off — just one of two events a year where Heath discounts any of its products. Even though I'm trying really hard not to buy new things without getting rid of old ones, I still walked away with a few bud vases and a stack of magazines.

But anyway, onto the tour...

Click through the slideshow for a virtual tour by way of my camera. 

The Sausalito factory has been around since 1958 — something that's hard to believe considering how modern the factory appears. Here, stacks of clay are being aged as it makes it more plastic (read: stronger) in consistency.

All of the clay trimmings are recycled. 
 

Heath starts by making a sculpted design out of a rubber compound. Then it uses the negative surrounding space to create a plaster mold that can be used to create castings. The factory makes about 50 new plaster molds per week, as molds wear out and have to be discarded after around 200 uses. 

Slip casting is used to create pieces like mugs, tea pots, and the bud vase shown here, as they can't be formed through a plate roller. To ensure the pieces are well-coated yet still hollow, factory employees flip the liquid out of the mold after about 25 minutes.

Since slipcasting creates a seam on the object, all the slipcast items must then be trimmed. The factory only has one custom trimmer, who has trimmed items by hand for over eight years.  

Mugs and mug handles are slipcast separately. 

While the handle is still soft and malleable, it's scored onto the mug base. 

After each mug gets its handle, the craftsman who scored it signs off on the bottom of the mug with initials. 

The mugs shrink significantly in size after a firing in the kiln. 

The finished product. 

Here, a craftsman hand-jiggers the lid of a clay pot. As most of the work here is done by machine, this is the closest thing the factory does to ceramic "throwing." Casserole lids like the one being made here do require throwing skills, because the knobs on the lids are actually made by hand.

That's one mighty fine lid. 

Glazes for days

Glazing a plate to a lovely shade of redwood. Raw glaze has a lighter appearance; after it's been fired, the finished product will be appear much darker. 

The kiln. Our tour guide told us that factory gets so sweltering that it can reach up to temperatures of 113 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days!