Helen RandellThe Chocovino Experience
May 18th 2010 01:04
On the weekend the girls and I tried the latest trend in food and wine matching - the ChocoVino experience.
We headed to Hahndorf Hill Winery to give it a go, and were promptly seated in their dining area, an elevated rectangular room with floor to ceiling glass windows which offers stunning views of the vineyard. It was a beautiful 21 degrees and the turning vine leaves were an array of autumnal colours.
Our waiter brought through some menus, and we quietly contemplated how many different types of wine, and different types of chocolate we wanted to taste. We each settled on a the same 'mini trio' taste experience, which included a rose, and two shiraz vintages. Accompanying these were three of the world's top chocolates, Valrhona's Guanaja, Francois Pralus' deeply roasted Madagascar and a high cocao percentage Michel Cluizel. From the menu, we also could have chosen a mini trio which included just whites or a white, rose and shiraz. There is also a 'relax and enjoy' taste experience and you can also choose your own tasting menu, opting for individual wines accompanied by individual chocolates. For those who don't want to drink, there is also a 'purely chocolate' tasting option.
Before our wine and chocolate arrived, our waiter brought us out each a bottle of Cape Grim water - touted as the purest water in the world. The water is harvested from Tasmania's Cape Grim, and only on days of high air quality. According to our waiter, Hahndorf Hill is the only place in South Australia which stocks the exclusive H2O, though is you travel first class on Qantas' a380 airbus you will also be offered a bottle. The water did taste pure - that is, it tasted of nothing at all.
Our mini trios were served by two very talented wait staff who managed to balance two and three serving plates, upon each of which were three tasting glasses of wine, and three portions of chocolate. As we all let out a sigh of relief that the wine had arrived safely in front of us, we began the process of smelling and tasting and the occasional nibble.
The waiter had told us to be bold and try a little of each chocolate with each wine to see which match we preferred. The rose and Valrhona went well, but we almost unanimously preferred the rose with the high cocao chocolate, which was meant to be matched with the older shiraz. The second pairing was by far the most impressive. The deep roasting of the Madagascar chocolate left it with quite a smoky taste when eaten alone, but when sampled with a sip of the shiraz, the effect was amazing. Both the chocolate and the wine took on a whole new dimension, creating a smoother and more rounded taste sensation. The third pairing was also good, but not as impressive as the second. Some of the other girls preferred the older shiraz paired with the first chocolate, but alas I can not comment on this as my first chocolate was long gone by the time I was on the third wine!
All up the mini trio experience costs $20 and includes 3 x 1/3 standard tasting glasses of wine (or one standard drink for those who are keeping tally in order to make the drive home) and 15grams of chocolate. Participants are encouraged to enjoy the experience and chat amongst themselves, while wait staff can offer advice and answer any questions you have. It takes about an hour.
This is a lovely way to spend an afternoon, and is the perfect way to celebrate a birthday (as we were) or other special occasion with a small group. We had a light lunch, or nuncheon (thanks Karin), earlier, and this was an impressive and stylish dessert option to follow - for six very impressive and very stylish ladies
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