With colder weather our wine glasses start to get filled with more red wine. The bigger the better in these winter months to go with beefy stews, or roast dinners. But you don’t always need the excuse of a good meal to enjoy a big read.
Our most recent tasting was paired with chocolate and seeing how that affected the taste and enjoyment of these big reds.
Some chocolate brought out more of the wine, others helped mellow the wine. But let’s face it, who doesn’t love a bit of chocolate and a sip of wine.
The wines.
The Oath Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia – Vegan
Tasting Notes
Giles Says: Dark Fruits, Chocolate & Pepper
Smell: Blackberry, Spice
Taste: Blackberry, Dark spice, Cocoa
Pairing: Barbecued meats or grilled aubergine.
This spicy shiraz was paired with Maltesers. The peppery spice and the sweet malt flavours should balance each other out. However if the milk chocolate is too sweet for your liking then a coffee creme or coffee flavoured chocolate would work well too.
[link to buy]
Chronic Cellars ‘Sir Real’ Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles
Tasting Notes
Giles Says: Black Fruit Toasted Spice
Smell: Black Cherry, Black Fruit, Mint
Taste: Black Cherry, Blackberry, Chocolate, Peppercorn
Pairing: Beef
If it is steak night it is Cab Sav night imo. This one goes really well with a less fatty cut like a filet. But don’t let that stop you having your favourite cut. It will work with anything. For our chocolate pairing I went with a butterscotch Green & Black. But anything with a toffee flavour works well. Maybe break out the quality street!
[link to buy]
Pagos del Rey ‘409’ Ribera del Duero
Tasting Notes
Giles Says: Black Fruits, Coconut, Oak
Smell: Black Fruits, Spice, Chocolate
Taste: Dark Fruit, Toasted Spice, Chocolate, Walnut, Tobacco
Pairing: Roast Meats, Lamb & Beef.
The Spanish have an easy drinking wine in the tempranillo grape. Easy for many to get along with. This one is all about the fruit with an excellent grown up back bone of toasted spices and walnut. Works really well with a roasted fatty meat like lamb or beef. Our chocolate pairing for this was peanut butter cups (yes Reeses!) but also a Hu Hazelnut butter dark chocolate bar.
[link to buy]
Luis Felipe Edwards Gran Reserva Merlot, Colchagua Valley
Tasting Notes
Giles Says: Strawberry, Cassis, Black Cherry
Smell: Red Fruit, Tomatoes, Jam
Taste: Dark Cherry, Plum, Smoke, Vanilla
Pairing: Beef
The other half to a Bordeaux blend, Merlot is Cab Savs sibling from across the river. This one grown in Chile and aged in barrels.
This was overwhelming popular on the tasting night. Big Bold red from slowly ripedned vines high in the Andes. It is a very dry climate which is awful for white grapes but does wonderful things for it’s darker brothers. This wine is TASTY!
[link to buy]
Alain Grignon Reserve Carignan Vieilles Vignes, France 2023
Tasting Notes
Giles Says: Black fruits, Red berries spice
Smell: Red Fruits, Spice
Taste: Blackberry, cherry, red fruit, dried cranberry, vanilla, oak, tobacco
Pairing: Roast Pork, Bolognese, Cheese platter
This lesser know grape variety brings a lot of flavour to the table, especially when from old vines. Spanish originally this is now used predominantly in France. It is less popular as it is a tough grape to grow and produces wine with high tannins. This one is however particularly smooth and delicious.
The salted chocolate helped to bring more of the fruit flavours our here, go a step further and brush that salted chocolate with rosemary and see some magic happen.
[link to buy]
3 Finger Jack Zinfandel 2019/20, Lodi
Tasting Notes
Giles Says: Blackberry, Black Cherry, and Spice
Smell: Rich aromas of black raspberry, toasty oak, roasted coffee, and plum
Taste: Intense flavors of blackberry, black cherry, and spice
Pairing: Slow cooked Pulled Pork, slow cooked lamb
Zinfandel is the same grape as Primitivo, but in my mind the American really ramped it up a notch. This is a luxurious big hitting red. It pairs really well with American BBQ type food, flame grilled meats, but something slow cooked in it’s own juices.
We paired this tonight with 100% cocoa from the solomon islands, a fairly special chocolate with a very special wine. I think everyone agreed it was a game changing combo.
[link to buy]
The wines are linked through to there retailers with affiliate links to purchase.