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KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.
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February 2005
Last Updated November 2010 |
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Conduct Your Own Wine And Chocolate Tasting
Page 5: At The Tasting
This is Page 5 of a five-page article on planning a chocolate party. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
Step 6: The Process
- Appoint a sommelier. You or one of your guests may wish to act as sommelier and pour all of the wines; or if the group is small and there’s more than enough wine, you can pass the bottle around the table. Each person should get a pour of about 1/3 glass (3 ounces). You can get about 12 pours from a bottle of wine.
- Serve the first flight of chocolate and wine. Take half of the piece of chocolate. Look at the color and smell the aroma. Take a bite. Chew it slowly and note how it feels. Read more about this process in our article, How To Taste Chocolate, and see The Flavors & Aromas of Chocolate. Take notes.
- Take a bite of the chocolate. Chew it several times and let it slowly melt on the tongue. Is it smooth, velvety, creamy, soft or gritty? It should not be waxy or hard to melt. Savor the chocolate—roll it around on the tongue to taste the many flavors. (The tip of the tongue senses sweetness, the front sides sense sour flavors, the back sides of the tongue taste salty flavors, and the very back of the tongue detects bitter notes.)
- Swirl the wine in the glass and sniff the aroma (the “nose”). Note the scents. Take a sip and swirl it in your mouth so it blends with the chocolate. How does it impact the chocolate flavors?
- Cleanse the palate by eating an unsalted cracker and taking several sips of water. Take another bite of chocolate and try a different wine. How is this pairing different from the prior ones?
- Repeat this process until you have finished the flight. Then discuss conclusions and rank your favorite pairings, favorite chocolate, favorite wine, etc.
- Continue with the next flight. You don’t have to do so immediately. As with dinner, courses can come out one after the other, or after a waiting/talking time.
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