This is the latest candy I’m using for a pairing. What do you think would be its ideal mate?
Author Archives: lilliebette
A Paradise Pair (Almost)
A few beautiful weekends ago, Sam and I used our Living Social coupon for a wine tasting at Paradise Springs winery in Virginia. I would love to walk you through the verdant estate and describe each wine, but I don’t have great notes. It’s a bit rude to write down everything your hostess says as she serves you the fine wines. Instead, I bought two bottles and I will feature each of them here with a pairing. You should visit the winery though, it is wonderful. There was a family having a party for a one yr-old there…and that family is legend to me now.
I also did a lousy job taking photos of the candy and the bottle. I have an excuse, but you’re not interested in that. You are sick of my excuses and complaints. I don’t blame you.
The Candy: Riesen (terrible stock image since I bought the bagged ones)
Riesen (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)
The Wine: Paradise Springs, Norton 2011. There’s no good image, so here is some wine with our cheese plate…
The Dream:
You may not know about Norton…I didn’t. Here’s a good short description from the Paradise Springs website:
“The Real American Grape® was first cultivated in Richmond, VA in 1830. Having the highest concentration of Antioxidants in any red grape, Norton is “the healthiest wine you can drink”! This distincly dark-colored wine has jammy black fruit flavors such as blackberry & plum and finishes with notes of baking spices.”
SO American right? Anyway, they cultivated Norton for a long and they neglected it but it made a comeback baby. I find it pretty interesting, so you should read up more in this Wiki article.
Riesen is a chewy, chocolatey affair and Norton is sharp and dry. Its tart flavor is reminiscent of the bitter skin of a green apple, which I imagine is caused by the baking spices. Could this distinct wine cut through the rich Riesen chocolate and leave the palate refreshed?
The Reality:
I was wrong. The sweet Riesen makes the dynamic wine bitter and unpleasant. I am not a huge fan and wouldn’t “ship” this pair. I thought Riesens had more of a dark chocolate flavor, but they are definitely way too sweet. I think a more bitter chocolate could be a good match here since anything sweet is just going to emphasize the bitterness of the wine. Perhaps a hint of coffee could be beneficial.
I guess we have a rematch.
Take away: Please, please try Norton when you have a chance! It might be a bit pricey, but it is a unique grape that deserves to dance upon your tongue…was that creepy to say?
Arak-ing Good Time
Have you had Arak? It’s a delicious liquor from the Middle East. It tastes like licorice and is made from grapes. So it’s like a combo of candy and wine!
I will have a post up tomorrow.
Classy Bunny
I just got this excellent print! Do you like it? As you may know, I’m a proud bunny owner. This classy bun just may be my mascot. Once I’m on my computer I will provide a link to the artist.
All About Karou
Hello!
Cats. Do you like cats? If not, this may not be the post for you, because that’s kind of the theme. I bought a cat recently and yes, she took a lot of my money and my heart too. I am pretty smitten and of course I will show you a picture. Her name is Karou she’s sweet as a button.
Oh Hello. Rub my belly?
The jump off point for the pairing was the Ecuadorian cranberry chocolate bar that my cousin gave me when I saw her play at the National Cathedral. I would link you to her website but you could probably find me through that and well, we’d never fall out of our drunken stupor. Suffice it to say she’s really talented. I mean, she played St. John’s Passion at the National Cathedral right?
I felt like one chocolate bar wasn’t enough, so I added Ghiradelli raspberry chocolate. Cranberry and raspberry work well together since they are both tart and sweet. And the wine..
But I don’t think I will say anymore…it’s a surprise…
The Wine: Gatao, Vinho Verde
The Candy: Pacari Organic Chocolate, Cranberry & Ghiradelli Raspberry Chocolate Squares
The Dream:
When I got the cranberry chocolate, I imagined frozen cranberries in a nice cool white wine. I could taste the cranberry bursting in my mouth and combining with a crisp chardonnay or pinot blanc.
But I couldn’t decide while I was at the market! I was fresh off the cat purchase and feeling pretty frisky, so I grabbed the cat wine thinking…well, this will be terrible.
I was wrong.
The Reality:
The wine is sweet, dry and slightly tart with bubbles that pop on your tongue. It is a nice wine and I am delighted it is so cheap.
The chocolate is rich with a chewy center of cranberry. It makes the wine soft and a bit sweeter but in a good way. The flavor and integrity of the wine isn’t dominated by the chocolate.
The raspberry chocolate squares area bit different. The wine gets more tart but it isn’t as crisp. I don’t like it quite as much.
The Take Away:
Cranberry chocolate with an ideal white is delicious and I can recommend it without any hesitations. It’s been awhile since I could give two thumbs up, but I guess Karou is my lucky charm.
My next post won’t be a pairing..something a bit different! I am just full of surprises aren’t I?
Sip the Rainbow
Hello All!
I hope you are having a wonderful March with Spring-ish weather. Do you have St. Patrick’s Day plans? If candy & wine are included, maybe you should check out these two posts for great ideas!
This post is a bit more colorful. I started with the wine, a charming shiraz (wait til you see the bottle), as the inspiration. Fun, flirty, and fruity, Shiraz can be paired with many candies. Though chocolate was tempting, I took a dive and chose the rainbow charm of Skittles. Although a candy like Skittles is a one way ticket to tummy-ache town, I figured the risk was worth the pain.
The Wine: Snake Charmer, Shiraz 2010 (Australian…the entire brand has fun labels!)
Hey….Snakey Lady! (C’mon you were expecting that)
The Candy: Skittles
The Dream:
I was not 100% confident in this pairing, but I went with that good ole gut feeling. Something about the texture and flavor of a handful of Skittles matched with a rich Shiraz appealed to me. Plus each Skittle has its own flavor, which I always find very fun when pairing…although it is labor intensive.
The Reality:
The wine is light and tart with an underlying rich flavor. There is a bouquet of strawberry. Let’s break it down by flavor.
Lime:
Don’t like this combo because the lime flavor thins out the wine a bit
Cherry:
The taste of the cherry is rich and round. I think it goes well with the light and tart flavor of wine.
Orange:
Mmm..I don’t know why I like the orange-berry flavor of this combo but I do. It tastes a bit cheap and overwhelming but dang, it is tasty.
Grape:
YUCK not good very bitter
Lemon:
The lemon adds a little flavor, but there’s not much else to note.
Either way, yum! I definitely recommend the wine. I look forward to checking the other types. Go Australia!
Charm the Tastebuds
My upcoming pairing will be with a Shiraz
What candy would you choose?
Two Bites with One Sip
Hello!
I have been behind but I think a post every two weeks is respectable considering all the GRE prep I am doing. But I am here now to delight you with my latest musings and adventures.
The candy for this post was donated by my friend Ally! If she had a blog, I would link you to it. Suffice it to say she’s a great college pal from back in the day. In addition, the candies are both from the great state of Vermont (which is inferior to New Hampshire…you’re welcome Ally)!
Candy: Dark Chocolate Truffles on top of Apricots with a spicy kick & Maple Candy!
Wine: Barton & Guestier’s Beaujolais, 2011
The Dream: Sam & I both thought a white would work with the chocolate and apricot, but my friend Ellen countered saying the sweet of the maple candy would not work. They both would be too sweet. We met in the middle and decided that a fruity and rich red would work. The Beaujolais was the perfect fit since Ally loves a nice Beaujolais.
I am making a cameo
The Reality:
The Beaujolais has a wonderful bouquet with a distinct richness and a hint of chocolate. The wine goes down smooth and has a nice tang at the end.
The chocolate apricot truffle is interesting. My only complaint is that the apricot is very chewy so it inhibits the entire experience. The thick truffle chocolate combined with the spice does go well with the Beaujolais. If the apricot chocolate ratio was a bit different, then the pairing would be a knock out of the park.
Maple candies are well, maple. They are extremely sweet and the wine doesn’t quite mix with it. The maple melts way too fast but the flavors are not bad when they come together at first.
The first pairing is definitely one I’d like to explore further…push the boundaries of the chocolate/apricot ratio!
A Lover’s Pair
Today’s post is, you guessed it, Valentine’s Day themed! But if you are looking for Candy Hearts and Chocolate Kisses, go elsewhere (except don’t, please stay…love me), because I have a less traditional approach.
This post is based on a little game I made up to test your compatibility to your partner.
This is how you play:
1-Toss a coin with your honey. Heads gets candy, tails gets the wine.
2-Part ways and choose wisely. No texting back and forth and no peeking! What would Cupid say?
3-Reunite to sip, chew, and enjoy
Lacking a perfect date for your new beau? Good thing you stumbled upon this blog.
This is how the game went down for Sam & me.
Sam-Heads
Liz-Tails
Let the love begin.
The Candy: Almond Joy, Snack Size
The Wine: Beringer Zinfandel 2011 (like the bunny kitsch?)
The Dream:
The PERFECT pair that would determine the fate of our relationship
The Reality:
The wine is sweet, rich, and a bit tart (just like me right?). There’s a pleasant aftertaste, but it’s slightly too ripe for me.
An Almond Joy is mostly chocolate and coconut at first. This combo mixes well with the Zin, but it doesn’t stand out as anything exceptional. The nuttiness of the almond adds a more diverse flavor palet. The pair is OK and I wouldn’t say no to it, but I think we can do better by coconut in the future.
What does this say about our love?
We both chose perfectly mediocre candy/wine with a mediocre result. What if I chose a $100 bottle or Sam chose a high-end candy? How out of sync would that be?
So the answer is: our love is here to say (thanks Sam, you are a real sport…love you)
Uncorked, Unwrapped 