Taste of Chocolate: An Evening of Chocolate and Wine

On Tuesday night, I was invited by my friend Megan to be her guest at the Taste of Chocolate's Chocolate and Wine event.  I am no stranger to Taste of Chocolate as I was a student in one of their chocolate workshops about a year ago.  I had a blast then and I was really looking forward to this evening.

The event took place at the College Club of Boston and I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never been here before.  We were brought upstairs to mingle and nibble on a few of the stationary and passed hors d'oeuvres.

A generous cheese display.

Panko-crusted shrimp skewers.

Phyllo-wrapped asparagus and goat cheese.

We were also given a tour of the College Club and got a chance to peek into one of their guest rooms and I took a few photos down their elegant staircase.

With a mirror like that, I couldn't resist a self-portrait!

At just about 7 PM, the doors to a very grand ballroom opened and we were treated to a wonderful evening of chocolate and wine.

First, Harry explained to us the five S' of wine tasting - see, smell, swirl, sip and savor.

And Dorian gave us some informative history on the development of chocolate from the cocoa bean to what we eat today!

And then we were onto the pairings.  With each pairing, we got an explanation of the chocolate and then the wine.  It was definitely relaxed and we were encouraged to ask questions along the way.

Lindt White Chocolate

2009 La Serra Moscato
D'Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Our second chocolate tasting was a delicious El Rey milk chocolate made with raw brown sugar.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a decent photo of it.

2009 Alasia Brachetto
D'Acqui, Tuscany, Italy

This chocolate had an earthy undertone to it.

2009 Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz
South Africa

This chocolate was declared to be Dorian's favorite and
it was also my favorite that evening!



2007 Luc Piret Merlot
Southern France



This chocolate was described as "burly" and I found it to be a bit earthy.

2007 Cameron Hughes Lot
184 Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley, CA

This was definitely a robust and less sweet piece of chocolate.

N/V Fonseca Bin 27 Port

I learned a lot about chocolate and wine on Tuesday evening and it was also great to catch up with some familiar faces.

Thanks again to Megan and the folks at Boston Chocolate for inviting me to this wonderful evening!  Boston Chocolate School offers classes, truffle making workshops, chocolate dinners and chocolate tours.  To find out more information about Boston Chocolate and all of their classes, check out their website here.

Full disclosure: The Evening of Chocolate and Wine class was fully complimentary, but as always, my opinion is honest and completely my own.