Tag Archives: valentines day

The Queen of Hearts

Posted on by

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today, you may find yourself a box of chocolates. For a seamless and sumptuous chocolate box pairing, look no further than the regal Queen herself, Rosa Regale. She’s  flirty, she’s sexy, she’s luscious. This made me want to eat the $3 bargain box, the Whitman’s classic, the Lindt, the Ghirardelli, the patisserie opera. And I did for this post.

20180124_161126.jpg

One chocolate in particular was a memorable one. Ghirardelli Strawberry Bark was made for this wine.

If you can only get one bottle for your romantic dessert, Rosa Regale should be it.

Chocolates tested:

Lindor Red Velvet Chocolate White Chocolate Truffles

Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares in Strawberry Bark and Creme Brulee

$3 Heart box from Wal-Mart

Whitman’s Sampler

Ferarro Rocher Hazelnut Truffles

The Whitman’s Sampler Breakdown

Posted on by

Tomorrow I will introduce the wine that goes with everything. But if you are hosting a Sampler sample party, this can be a guide for a variety of varietals.

sampler

Coconut – tricky, but a velvety Malbec would be sufficient

Chocolate whip – Gewertztraminer, Sparkling Moscato, Banyuls

Pecan & English Walnut Chew – Pinot Noir, Reisling

Molasses Chew  – Gewertztraminer

Fruit Nut Caramel – Pinot Noir

Maple Fudge – Reisling

Toffee – Malbec

Cherry Cordial – Sparkling Moscato

Nuts – Merlot, Noir and tomorrow’s pick

 

Check back tomorrow for the wine that pairs with all of the above!!

Well that simplifies things!

Posted on by

I was at Whole Foods picking up a cupcake to pair because their bakery is amazing. I also wanted to see what they had for wine and throughout the wine section, they had tags on certain wines that said “Great with Chocolate”! How cool! So I had to give it a go!

20180209_162351.jpg

A Merlot! This actually went really well! It paired wonderfully and was also refreshing. I paired this with 70% dark Lindt Chocolate. The velvety chocolate lingers in your mouth while you sip and it’s just heaven. You can find this wine at Whole Foods for about $12 and many other wines that had the pairing tag on them as well.

I tried it…

Posted on by

20180209_074220.jpg

I haven’t been brave enough to try this until this post series. My reaction? Why did I wait so long!? I was thinking chocolate wine would taste like a red wine with artificial chocolate flavors injected into it. This, however, is none of that. If you like Bailey’s or Godiva liqueurs,  you will enjoy this.

I tried it chilled and straight up but this would be fine on the rocks or even in a cocktail that would call for a creamy chocolaty liqueur. Maybe in a minty chocolate concoction… a spiked Shamrock Shake perhaps? I’ll test some recipes out.

If you’re still skeptical, don’t think of it as a wine. Think of it as a cream based liqueur and you’ll be fine. Now shall I taste Chocolate Box wine??

 

The Cat Box

Posted on by

Or any other themed Russel Stover box, this classic pairs nicely with an assortment of wines. Since there wasn’t a chocolate map in this one, I had to guess what the filling was.

20180117_144532.jpg

20180201_100220.jpg

If you’re in the market for just one bottle to pair with an assortment, pick up a bottle of Banyuls or Barefoot Bubbly Moscato. Come back on the 14th to see the wine that wins Valentine’s Day pairings!

Little Debbie Heart Cakes

Posted on by

 

20180108_120040.jpg

Along with your Cosmic Brownies, you may have a few of these left over. These beauties were a welcome blast from the past. The layered spongey cakes, the creamy layers, the salty but smooth-then-sweet chocolate coating, the irresistible instagrammy pink… I need to stop myself from buying another box of these. I paired these with the ever popular Barefoot Pink Moscato and I was in heaven.

Cosmic Brownies

Posted on by

The Valentine’s Day version. You probably found yourself needing to buy these for your kid’s class swaps and now you have a few left in the pantry. I remember the best part of a cosmic brownie being the little candy bits on top of them. Other than that, nothing really comes to mind. If you end up eating one, pair it with Asti to make the experience a little more worthwhile. You may be eating a broken brownie in the pantry, but with a nice bubbly beverage, your pantry becomes a quiet spa moment.

20180108_121528.jpg

Wine & Peanut Butter Cups!

Posted on by

20180116_131224.jpg

Okay, I enjoyed this pairing more than I should. Correction: enjoying…

Anyway, I was struggling with this one. I had a line of wines, a bag of peanut butter cups and couldn’t place the pairing. I gave up, had an empty bag of pb cups (with the help of a husband), and headed to Total Wine. I went to the right place because the associate there had recently tried an odd combination that actually worked really, really well! I was skeptical at first thinking of the oaky, tarty taste of “Chardonnay”, but I am so glad I took his recommendation. Atrevida Chardonnay and peanut butter cups are a match!

14 Days of Wine & Sweets Day One

Posted on by

Welcome to February! To celebrate, I’ve put together 14 delicious wine and sweet pairings for all of your Valentine’s Day treat needs.

20180108_113034.jpg

What better way to kick off 14 days of wine and sweets pairing than to kick it off with the most iconic Valentine’s candy? I can’t remember the last time I actually ate these though. I was surprised that each color is a different taste! I admit, I’m not that big of a fan of the taste, aftertaste and residue but I did find that pairing these with a bubbly Moscato like Barefoot Bubbly Pink Moscato was very refreshing. The sugar makes the bubbles explode into an almost foam to cleanse your palate and teeth!