Event

Once a month we gather together to explore, in a very interactive way, a small slice of the fascinating world of wine.
While there is no charge for this limited seating, we hope that you will enjoy the wines sufficiently to wish to have them in your wine cabinet!

More importantly, we hope that this short experience with very good wine will make you a lifelong wine lover and a loyal patron of The Wine Cabinet!

We begin promptly at 7:00pm.

The Wines!

Atmosphere  Rose', Provence, 2014 
Belle Glos "Meiomi" Chardonnay, 2013
Belle Glos "Meiomi" Pinot Noir, 2013
Jason Stephens Merlot, 2010
Cline Mourvedre, Ancient Vines, 2013 

Graham's Six Grapes Reserve Port

Tips for Successfully Pairings Wines with Chocolate

Tip #1: To keep things simple, start with a wine that is slightly sweeter than the chocolate or chocolate-themed dessert. With both wine and chocolate carrying their own innate intensity, they can often find themselves engaged in a formidable palate power play, each vying for dominance and immediate attention. To help the two settle into some semblance of amiable balance, initially let the wine bow to the chocolate in the form of a slightly sweeter wine partnered up with the chunk of chocolate. Tried and true "sweet" wine options that cover a wide range of chocolate partners include: the fortified favorites of Port, Madeira, Pedro Ximénez Sherry, and Grenache-driven Banyuls, in addition to several late harvest wine options, and some sweet sparkling wines like Italy's delicious Brachetto d'Acqui or Moscato d'Asti with lighter selections.

Tip #2: Opt for similar style and weight. When pairing wines with chocolate, try to match lighter, more elegant flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines; likewise, the stronger the chocolate, the more full-bodied the wine should be. For example, a bittersweet chocolate tends to pair well with an intense, in-your-face California Zinfandel or even a tannin-driven Cabernet Sauvignon. The darker the chocolate the more dry, tannin texture it will display. However, when you pair this darker chocolate up with a wine that also boasts stouter tannin structure, the chocolate will often overshadow or cancel out the wine's tannins on the palate and allow more of the vinous fruit to show through.

Tip #3: Taste from light to dark chocolate or light-bodied to full-bodied wine. Similar to formal wine tasting, if you will be experimenting with several varieties of chocolates, work from light white chocolate through milk chocolate and end on the drier notes of dark chocolate. By starting with the more understated nuances of white chocolate and ending with dark or bittersweet chocolate, you will keep your palate from starting on overdrive and missing out on the subtle sweet sensations found in more delicate chocolate choices (and wine).

Courtesy of AboutFood.com