How Chocolate Makers are Being Inspired by Wine in New Ways
The days of grabbing a handful of M&Ms to go with your zinfandel are long over. Recently some chocolate producers have gone beyond just creating chocolate designed to pair with wine, instead, making chocolate inspired directly by wine. Experiments include using wine byproducts and even wine barrels. It’s also led to another way of thinking about the commonalities of chocolate, wine and terroir.
Health & Sustainability
Wine grapes have health benefits but some of the benefits don’t make it into the glass. During the process of making white wine, ripe grapes are crushed into must. The must is then pressed to separate juice from the solids; the juice becomes wine, but the solids—comprised of the skin, seeds and pulp—are discarded. (Many, but by no means all, end up in compost heaps, is used as animal feed, or is used to make brandy, grappa or piquette).
These grape solids, also known as marc, are agents of flavor and nutrition—and winemakers from Jackson Family Wines, researchers from Sonomaceuticals, the USDA and UC Davis collaborated to figure out how to turn those byproducts into a confection. WellVine Chardonnay Marc and Vine to Bar, a line of chocolates brimming with Chardonnay marc, was born in 2021.
Chardonnay marc in particular is loaded with oligosaccharides, a fiber that research shows stimulates the growth of good gut bacteria, says WellVine’s president, Scott Forsberg. The marc is also brimming with phenolics shown to boost heart health and stabilize blood sugar, Forsberg says.
In addition to the health-boosting benefits of chardonnay, the team found the flavors of that variety complemented chocolate best. “Of all the varieties we tried, chardonnay worked best for all types of chocolate,” says Forsberg. “The more robust reds are difficult to work in because their taste overpowers the cocoa, instead of harmonizing with it.” Part of the problem, Forsberg contends, is that red wines are macerated and fermented before pressing, whereas white wines are generally pressed from fresh fruit. “That fresh fruit and character is better with chocolate,” Fosberg says.
Each bar contains 65% cocoa. Available bars include Almond and Himalayan Pink Salt, Tart Cherry and Cocoa Nibs and Chardonnay Smoked Salt and Cocoa Nibs.
Chocolate To Try: Chardonnay Smoked Salt and Cocoa Nibs Tasting Bars are redolent of raspberries, hothouse flowers, smoke, blueberries, with pops of bitterness and salt. The nibs add great texture. The marc, Fosberg says, “enhances the chocolate by adding acidity and floral and fruit aromas and flavors.”
Barrel Aging Chocolate
Chocolate and wine pair well as a sensory experience, of course, but Oregon’s Brooks Wine and Woodblock Chocolate sees a philosophical connection as well. “We’ve known Brooks Wine managing director Janie Brooks Heuck for many years, but during the pandemic, we collaborated on several projects,” says Charley Wheelock, who co-founded and runs Woodblock with his wife, Jessica. “I was very familiar with wine, having worked three harvests before launching Woodblock, so I often spoke of chocolate in wine terms. As Janie and I conducted virtual tastings and worked on projects together, it became increasingly clear to both of us just how many similarities there are in the culture of growing, making, and consuming wine and chocolate.”
Experiments have led Wheelock to incorporate the fruit-forward flavors inherent in wine by aging chocolate in wine barrels. It’s a technique that has been pioneered by chocolate makers using bourbon, rum, and cognac barrels.
Terroir & Tasting
In April, the two brands decided to formalize their affinities with a collaborative tasting bar experience within Portland’s Woodblock Chocolate manufactory space. Dubbed Bons Amis, the space offers chocolate and wine flights, wines by the glass and chocolate by the bite. But mostly, it provides a new way of experiencing the pair together.
“The experience is evolving, but our goal is to show how much cocoa and wine-growing have in common,” Wheelock says. “We talk about which flavors work together, but we push well beyond the palate. We pair single vineyard wines with single origin chocolate. We talk about origins, farming techniques and terroir. We talk about the people behind the bar and the chocolate.”
Chocolate + Wine To Try: The menu changes, but current offerings include a salé, or savory pairing of 2016 Brooks Extended Tirage Sparkling Riesling and four selections of savory cocoa bites, or a sucré, or sweet pairing of 2018 Cahiers Riesling with dark milk chocolate, milk chocolate, malted milk chocolate and, coffee milk chocolate mendiants.
We know that chocolate and wine taste great together. But thanks to these chocolatiers, we now have a deeper understanding of how we can better elevate the iconic pairing for our health, the environment and our palate.