Let's talk basics first. The most basic chocolate-pairing ground rule is to pair according to colour: the darker the chocolate, the darker the wine. So, reds are ideal for dark chocolate. If you have you're after a white wine, look for fruity and intense varieties as these match the layered flavours in chocolate which include: fruitiness, bitter and sweetness, nuttiness, and occasional acidity. Look for wines with soft, rounded tannins to pair with chocolate. The smoothness of the wine is an important element when pairing with the smoothness of the chocolate too. Full bodied wines to match strong, intense and heavy chocolates or chocolatey desserts. When you're tasting chocolate and wine together, use the common rule of wine tasting: go from light to dark. Start with the light milk and white chocolate, move to the medium intensities, finding your way to the very dark and bitter varieties. Match the wines accordingly, ascending in both 'weight' and 'darkness'.
For my pairing, I have the pleasure of tasting the beautiful 'bean- to-bar' chocolate crafted by Mason Chocolates, made right here in Bali. These artisan-crafted chocolates combine the latest European chocolate making technology with the finest organic cacao beans sourced from through the Indonesian archipelago, including: Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Bali, Sulawesi, Sumba and Papua. For the purest pairing experience, I chose their Single Origin chocolate, a 71% cocoa-base with different selection of regions: Berau, East Kalimantan, Jayapura, Papua; Jembrana, West Bali; Banyuwangi, East Java. These limited edition chocolates present a flavour profile defined by each region's soil, climate, rainfall and altitude - just like a vintage wine!
Though my palate is trained for wine, I was really taken aback by the differences and distinctness I could taste between each region.With these 'Single Origin' chocolates, and at71%, they were real tell-tale notes of where each came from.
The Berau boasted impressive berries, nuts, cinnamon a perfect hits of bitterness of the chocolate (expected from 71%); the Jayapura was more floral in aroma and toffee or chocolate cake in the palate; Jembrana held an even more distinct flavour, with honey, black tea and dried fruit characters (I even tasted some candied pineapple); the Banyuwangi has a more fresh citrus, mixed berries and a hits of coffee flavour. To find the right pairing for each of these beautiful chocolates, I explored several wines with different characteristics.
With a 71% dark chocolate I have chosen to start with a Château Magnol Haut Medoc 2018 from Barton & Gustier, the predominant Cabernet Sauvignon will pair very well with the complexity of chocolates. The second wine is Gevrey-Chambertin Patriarche 2017, a Pinot Noir based wine with complex fruit - I was thinking it will be great to pair the fruity components in the chocolate. This is the same reason why I also chose an Allegrini Corte Giara Valpolicella 2020, wiht a Corvina grape base with fruity berries with hits of spice that I believe would complement well.
Of course it's important to compare white and red, so I chose a Thomas Barton Reserve Sauternes, a famous sweet wine made blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux France, this wine has a beautiful bouquet displaying overtones of honey, tropical fruit, apricot, and orange marmalade. Intense, full-bodied, and is perfectly balanced and wonderfully fresh. Another white that I chose was Enrico Serafino Erinathe Moscato D'Asti DOCG, wine from Piedmont using the Asti method; the wine is sweet light body fermented half way to ensure the sweet and fruit in the wines. This aromatic and fresh fruit character will be perfect to pair with the fruity component in the chocolate. Last but not least is Hatten Pino De Bali, a fortified wine from Bali ageing for 5 years in oak barrels that had a beautiful layer of tertiary aroma from the long-ageing process.
The Jembrana single origin from the 2018 harvest in Nusa Sari Village and aged for 2 years was a perfect pairing with the Allegrini Corte Giara Valpolicella 2020. The wine brings out the fruitiness in the chocolate even more, and its honey flavour becomes more pronounced.
The Banyuwangi bean, a 2019 harvest from the Kendeng Lembur village, aged for 1 year, was best with the Enrico Serafino Erinathe Moscato D'Asti DOCG. Yes best paired with a semi-sweet and fruity white wine; the expressive fruity flavour in the chocolate is perfect with aromatic, floral and fruity notes in the wine.
The Jayapura from the village of Lembah Nawar, harvested in 2019 and aged 1 year, paired best with the Chateau Magnol Haut Medoc 2018. The wine elevated the coffee character in the chocolate, in its delicate creaminess I tasted a hint of macchiato on the back of the palate, very interesting combination.
The Berau Kalimantan comes from the Sambaliung harvest in 2018 aged for 2 year. This was an easy pairing, going well with the Gevrey- Chambertin Patriarche 2017 wine, which again highlights the fruity notes of the chocolate. The finishing flavours are fresh, fruit and airy.
What I found most interesting is that actually both the Thomas Barton Reserve Sauternes and Hatten Pino De Bali paired well with all of the single origin chocolates. This is because both these wines have very complex and intense aromas and flavours, complementing the complexity of the chocolate. The wines brought up a more specific tertiary aroma: more nutty, caramel honey, even nougat and chocolate fudge.
What a treat to pair these two gastronomic pleasures at once! I highly recommend you try a chocolate and wine pairing for yourself, and my high praise to Chef Ida Ayu Tiwi, the expert chocolatier at Mason Chocolates Bali for creating such a delicious chocolate (head to masonchocolates.com to find out more).
Until next time - cheers!