February 13, 2009
Some say that cocoa beans were so valuable to Mayan traders that when Christopher Columbus saw them picking up cocoa beans they had dropped, he commented it was as though their eyes had fallen out. Fast-forward 500 years, and there was similar clamoring amongst the NYC.com food editors over who would attend this week's Private Wine and Chocolate Tasting Class by Outdoor Bound held at Divialicious Chocolate in SoHo with owner and chocolate connoisseur Jackie Gordon at the helm. In an added stroke of good fortune, the wine and expert advice was provided by Jean-Baptiste Humvert from Wine Therapy.
A gourmet selection of six artisanal ouverture chocolates was paired with four wine varietals; in other words, 24 different flavor combinations were represented. With such generous glasses being poured by Connie Magee, owner of Outdoor Bound, the pre-Valentine's Day crowd rather quickly expressed considerable collective delight.
Jackie took the assembled group through a step-by-step process of the proper way to taste and to critique chocolate, and how this process of evaluation relates to the wine. Indeed, her very learned approach to chocolate was highly appreciated, and her many talents can be visually summed up via the display boards at the store displaying intriguing information—such as a chocolate flavor wheel that helps one identify flavors and hone one's preferences.
There is a fascinating amount of science to chocolate making, and in the United States our palates have fortunately developed significantly over the last 15 years during the "Chocolate Revolution" that has exposed us to ever-more sophisticated varieties. Accordingly, the United States has quite measurably improved in terms of the quality of chocolate we manufacture.
Jackie was quick to inform attendees that experiencing chocolate is in fact a very personal thing; thus, irrespective of what others might think it is what you the individual consumer prefers that counts. Perhaps for some it might have been difficult to tell the difference between the various chocolate and wine pairings, but when giving the proper concentration on the tasting techniques one can rapidly detect subtleties such as "grassy" undertones.
In conclusion, this event was both a marvelous way to meet others with similar oenophile/chocophile tastes; unlike many other such tastings, this event is quite enjoyable whether attending alone, as a couple, or even with a group of friends. We moreover noticed as a few of the ladies displayed some rather highly festive spirits as the night progressed that this event would even function as a splendid way to commence a bachelorette party.
At the end of the evening after such highbrow tastings, we felt rather meek creeping out of the store with a purchase of coconut white chocolate—potentially the chocolate equivalent of choosing a McDonald’s hamburger over a Filet Mignon. Nevertheless, Jackie displayed an incredibly gracious esprit about said purchase; it is testament to their fantastic chocolate that we did consume the entire supply upon arriving home.
Tags:
chocolate and wine tasting, connie magee, divalicious chocolate, jackie gordon, outdoor door
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Posted on 2/13/2009
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