Chocolate plus wine? Ummm
Some bad news for the reader who asked me to recommend a good dessert wine to go with a simply delicious recipe she's found for a chocolate pudding.
And for anyone else who thinks that dessert wines (the British call them pudding wines) go with all desserts. They do not, and particularly not with chocolate pudding.
In fact chocolate has ruined more good and expensive dessert wines than just about any other food because, like egg, it coats the mouth and smothers the tastebuds.
The problem remains, however, convincing people that this is the case; that there are as many dessert wines consumed with fruit, cheese and goodies from the bakery as there are with puddings, desserts, whatever you want to call them.
Often the best bet is to have them waste a good sticky, which is not a bad descriptive for such wines, and try it for themselves with a chocolate pud. Dollars to chocolate doughnuts they will get no flavour, only the acidity, which will leave an unpleasant, bitter taste.
What's required to kick-start the tastebuds in this case is something more robust, preferably something sweet and red, and there is probably no better choice to start than a ripe Ruby Port (how about Dows Fine Ruby, $35) or one of those wonderful old raisiny Australian liqueur muscats like that from Morris ($22 for a 500ml bottle).
These wines work because they are not only sweet but they have a fair lashing of alcohol.
An intensely sweet and treacly sherry such as Ustaus Pedro Ximenez Emilio or Moscatel Emelin (both in 350ml bottles and both $30) will also do the trick, as they also will for Christmas pudding.
Sometimes red wines will also work, but look only for burly brutish but not-too tannic stuff: over-ripe Australian shiraz and Californian zinfandels, with plenty of alcohol. The same wines, if they work, should also be used with other rich, dark desserts, including muscular mousses, and gateaux.
Anything slightly lighter will call for an aging but expensive tawny port (be prepared to pay $100 or more for a 20 year-old), an Australian Orange Muscat ( Brown Brothers 2007 is great valley at $14) or a sauternes-style sticky such as Askernes stunning 2006 Noble Semillon ($30).
Sauternes-style wines (try Alpha Domus lighter Leonarda late Harvest Semillon, $20) are also an ideal accompaniment for the lightweight, frothier mousses and other assorted desserts which also marry well with the sweet, low alcohol Asti-style bubblies of Italy — wines like Soljans $16 Fusion Sparkling Muscat.
Meanwhile, I have a problem of my own. What to drink with a dish that I discovered a recipe for the other day and plan to try as soon as I can find a selection of frozen small berries or berries that I can pick and freeze myself. It's really very simply and sounds delicious. All you do is serve the berries and allow them to lose a little of their chill and then over the top pour a hot white chocolate sauce.
What needs to be remembered in this case is that berries increase the acidity in any dish that involves ice cream or chocolate and it depends on the level of this acidity which wine is chosen. Because dark berries are more concentrated I think I will be going for something sweet, but older, perhaps that 20 year-old tawny port.
The same lovely tipple is also a great choice if you're simply eating dairy milk chocolate. Dark chocolate demands a rich old sherry (Lustau East India, $29) and with white there is nothing quite like a sweet Sicilan white a Pellegrino Fine ($22) or whatever other marsala is available.
And what about chocolate fish? Can I suggest you simply take them neat and save the hassle and expense.