Chocolate and wine dates back to the 12th century, when cocoa beans were brought to Europe from the New World.
These beans were highly coveted by the extremely wealthy, often traded for gold, silk and exotic spices.
Cocoa was also used as a currency by the Aztecs.
In today’s modern times, we are all fortunate enough to enjoy the smooth, creamy texture of chocolate with many variations.
Eleanor Joseph, owner of
Eleanor Joseph Confections, loves chocolates and wine, so she combined her two loves and created wine pairing medallions, which are chocolate discs that contain the right percentage of cacao to enhance the flavor of your wine.
So gather your friends and bring them together for two of the world’s greatest pleasures.
Start with several different varietals of wines, ranging from whites to reds.
Make sure you only pour a small amount in each glass (you don’t want the party to get out of hand).
Give each guest a specific wine-pairing medallion to try with each wine. The medallions will help bring out the flavor of the wine.
To determine the difference, have your guests try a medallion that doesn’t pair with the wine, the experience will show your guests the difference in the wines.
In Eleanor’s line of wine pairing medallions, here is her formula for perfect matches.
Gold 34 percent Cacao
Milk Chocolate
Pair with: Reislings, Chardonnay or Blushes
Pink 44 percent Cacao
Milk Chocolate
Pair with: Whites, Blushes & Light Reds, Sauvignon Blanc and White Zinfandel
Fuschia 55 percent Cacao
Semisweet Chocolate
Pair with: Blushes & Reds, Merlot, and Petit Syrah
Purple66 percent Cacao
Semisweet Chocolate
Pair with: Reds, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir
Joseph has also created truffles with the natural flavors of Raspberry, Apricot and Dutch chocolate that go well with medium and big red wines, which are her favorites.
Her premium gourmet chocolate truffles, which are not made in molds and have no air whipped into them are also wheat free, gluten free and non-GMO.
You can find
Eleanor Joseph Confections truffles and wine pairing medallions at
Whole Foods Markets and other retail locations.
