PANIC!

Men, we can watch numerous commercials, view bill-boards, read the print ads and yet, February 14^th will catch us unaware, scrambling to purchase cards, flowers and gifts on the way home from work. Restaurant reservations? Who are we kidding, they were booked months ago. Dinner?  Oops, order take-out from that cute Italian place you went to last summer. Plans for the evening?  Oh no, you’re in TROUBLE.

Help is at hand my friends. You can create your own tasting experience at home with an appropriately themed subject: alcoholic libations and chocolate.  You can choose from wine, beer or spirits or any combination thereof. I write this to aid my fellow man and prove once again, the staff at Beltramo’s will go the extra mile to help our customers.

The pairing of wine and chocolate is a contentious subject amongst those in the wine profession. I hold firmly to the ideal that most wine does not pair with cocoa, but I offer you solutions to that conundrum.

We shall have 3 courses tonight. To begin the night’s festivities we shall start with sparkling wines move through to some English beers and finish with two fortified wines.  If time and your constitution permit try all of my recommendations; this will greatly enhance your evening.

Sparkling Wines

I recommend serving milk chocolate with these.

2010 Saracco Moscato D’Asti    $13.99 

The nose reveals pit fruits, vibrant apricots and peaches. The wine is sweet yet balanced and exhibits a fine bubble structure and a silky finish.

 Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Centenario Amibile Grasparossa di Castelvetro    $10.99 

This is a frizzante wine. A delicious foamy mousse begins and is followed by dark, dark raspberries. Rich and sumptuous, a mouth full of sweet berries. A rich finish.

 Beers

A dark chocolate will work here: one that is around 65% cocoa.

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout    ($3.79 available in-store)

A very dark beer, sweet but not too sweet, with a creamy, milk chocolate flavor and hints of coffee on the finish, nicely balanced.

Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter    ($3.49 available in-store)

Intense flavors of roasted barley, dry and tangy with a slight smoky quality, followed with delicious notes of coffee and caramel.

Fortified Wines

A dark, bittersweet chocolate for this course.

2009 M. Chapoutier Banyuls    $21.99 

From the South of France, abutting the Spanish border comes the world famous Banyuls.  The wine is rich and full-bodied yet delicate and with great acidic balance. Black plums and Bing cherries on the nose with orange rind and raisons on the mid-palate followed with espresso on the finish.

Meyer Family Port NV    $29.99 

Baked plums and cooking spices, mace, cinnamon and allspice on the front. A mid-palate of lush cherries and cassis and a long, lingering finish.

James DB,  Beltramo’s Wine Consultant

Revolutions have been plotted, declarations toasted and presidents inaugurated with Madeira wine. Warring nations have enacted trade agreements to keep the production and flow amiable. Scurvy, the much maligned and miss-understood ailment witnessed its own demise amongst sailors and explorers because of Madeira wine.

The questions then begging to be asked are, what is Madeira, and why is it so special?

During the long sea voyages the wines would be subjected to prolonged periods of excessive heat and humidity and  constant agitation caused by the ships pitching and rolling, these factors essentially cooked and oxidized the wines. The result is a fortified wine that is deep, rich and complex with enticing aromatics. In more recent times to emulate these conditions a system called an Estufagem was developed and utilized. This effectively mirrors the effects of aging by subjecting the wine to high temperatures, up to 55°C for extended periods of time, months or even decades.

Tempted to try a tipple?

I highly recommend the Historic Series from the Rare Wine Company. This series recreates the styles that were in vogue when Madeira was America’s favorite wine. There are four to choose from, each made with one of the traditional grape varietals from the Island, those being, Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey.              

Charleston Sercial ($49.99)

This is the driest of the Madeiras mentioned here. The wine is delicate and vibrant with a high acidity and hints of tart citrus fruits and almonds. When chilled an excellent aperitif and fantastic with hearty bisques and rich soups.      

 Savannah Verdelho ($49.99)    

This is a touch fuller, with a hint of smoke on the nose. There are flavors of ginger, orange peel, and vanilla with a chocolate covered pears finish on the palette. The spicy and fruity characteristics play in unison.

Boston Bual ($49.99)

The smoky elements remain but the acid is giving way to a higher residual sugar content: think smoky molasses. Raisin fruits are more prominent with a touch of caramelized walnuts. Rich and sweet but not cloying.

New York Malmsey  ($49.99)  Rich and sweet.  Toffee and chocolate drizzled with caramel, dates and figs for the fruit portion. Full and delicious, perfect with a sumptuous and indulgent chocolate pudding.

James D-B,  Beltramo’s Wine Consultant