Wine & Chocolate - a good pairing on Valentine's Day

Since many of you may receive a nice box of chocolate tomorrow on Valentine's Day, I thought it might be interesting to share some information on another passion of mine — chocolate. Like wine there is a wide variety of quality in the chocolate world. There are even chocolate Grand Crus. Chocolate, like wine, has its own tasting ritual. We all enjoy chocolate in its various forms. For this week's column I will share with you a bit more about this precious and flavorful product and how to enjoy it with wine.

Enjoyed throughout the ages

Chocolate is one of life's greatest treats. It's been a cherished delicacy for almost 4000 years. The Mayan civilization was the first to consider the product of the coco bean as a luxury. This was followed by the Aztecs, who actually used chocolate as currency. With the arrival of the Spanish in central and South America chocolate was soon brought back to Europe. It was an immediate success.

Today we find chocolate in many different products and served in many ways. Chocolate, like wine, is available at various quality levels. There's everyday chocolate (i.e. chocolate bars) and there is also high end chocolate for special occasions. Similar to wine professionals, there are chocolate aficionados who are as serious about their enjoyment of chocolate as wine lovers can be about their wine tasting ritual.

Where is chocolate from?

The kingdom of the coco bean has been in Central and South-America for centuries. Countries like Argentina produce some of the world's finest cocoa beans (i.e. Chua and Puerto Cabello). The chocolate made from these beans are considered by many as products that provide some of the most intense chocolate flavours one can find. Many other countries in Central and South-America like Trinidad, Equator, Mexico, Costa Rica, Haiti, Colombia, Jamaica and Brazil also produce excellent coco beans. Although the true origins of chocolate lie in this part of the world, some great beans are now produced in Africa and Asia. Each producing country offers various styles of chocolates with their own unique characteristics. For example, I personally enjoy chocolate from Tanzania. It is available at the specialty stores.

The Art of tasting chocolate

True chocolate lovers can pick quality chocolate from ordinary ones. First they look at the chocolate: A great chocolate should be shiny, smooth and have a pronounced dark colour — but not necessarily black. The next step is to smell it. Like wine, a good chocolate can have aromas of roasted coffee beans, caramel, floral and fruity notes. These can be pronounced or more delicate. After nosing the aromas, tasting the chocolate is the next important step. I recommend breaking the chocolate as this will release all the perfumes and aromas. Next, take a good bit into it; feeling the texture and the unique characteristics of the diverse chocolate types. Chocolate lovers will then let it melt on the palate in order to fully appreciate all its qualities and flavours. They will try to discern the specific characteristics (and origin) of the coco beans used to make it. The origin and the type of coco used will give the chocolate its unique attributes that a chocolate specialist can pick — just like grapes for different wines.

Enjoying wine with chocolate

Just like drinking a superb wine from a boutique winery, tasting chocolate made by a fine chocolatier using premium quality beans is a real treat. These chocolates should be savoured, enjoyed slowly and shared with your favourite friends. You should know that the style and type of chocolate will dictate the type of wine you should drink. As a rule of thumb you will want to pair your chocolate with sweeter wines like port, sauternes, late harvest or ice wine. For example, a dark dry chocolate will go well with a Vintage Port. A milk chocolate with hazelnut flavours will match with a Tawny Port. White chocolates with fruit flavours can pair with sweet wines like sauternes or ice wines.

Finally, this week, recommendations are a selection of products available at ANBL stores that pair well with different types of chocolate.

Weekly wine picks:

• Banfi Rosa Regale 375 ml - Italy ($18.99) - For chocolate truffles stuffed with red berries (strawberries, raspberries, cherries)

• Dows Colheita -Portugal ($38.29) - Great with milk chocolate and hazelnut truffles.

• Taylor Fladgate LBV -Portugal ($23.99) - For dark bitter-sweet chocolate.