Merlot and Chocolate Raspberry Creams
October 2, 2010
One of my favorite chocolate and wine pairings is merlot with a dark chocolate-covered raspberry cream.
Merlot, a red grape originating in France’s Bordeaux region, naturally produces tastes that are rich and round, loaded with raspberry and other red berry flavors, sometimes with hints of chocolate and sometimes vanilla.
Merlot is often overshadowed by a similar wine, the more popular cabernet sauvignon. The two share some similarities, but there differences, too. A merlot pairs very well with certain fruit creams and dark chocolates because it is typically softer and fruitier in both aroma and flavor than a cabernet.
Recently I enjoyed a Sonoma Vineyards 2007 Merlot. I paired it with a dark chocolate raspberry cream from a local chocolates shop that I adore. This wine was velvety smooth with mocha, raspberry, and cranberry notes coming through at the start and finishing with mocha and vanilla.
While I considered this a successful match up, the vanilla and oak flavors from the wine brought out some bitterness in the chocolate. Over the years, I have paired different merlot wines with chocolate raspberry creams and try to avoid wines that are aged in oak for this very reason.
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