Wine & Chocolate: A Tasting with Satellite Bottle Shop

A new wine shop recently came to Dedham Square, just down the road from our shop. Naturally, we received the news of their opening with great enthusiasm and promptly paid a visit to introduce ourselves. In doing so, we met the proprietor, Stan Hilbert, who introduced us to Satellite Bottle Shop and endeared himself to us with his vast knowledge of wine.

Later that day, as we sipped some Pinot Noir and nibbled on some new chocolate that had recently arrived at BGS, we had the idea to collaborate with Stan on a little matchmaking endeavor.

We selected a few of our newest small-batch, single-origin chocolates and asked him to recommend a wine to pair with each of them. We chose some pretty unique bars, and Stan rose to the occasion, pairing them perfectly with wines that complemented their flavors.

Each of these combinations offers something unique for the palate. Every wine brings out different notes in the chocolate, and each chocolate enhances the flavors of the wine it's paired with. Take a look at these harmonious unions, read Stan’s tasting notes, and find out how you can enjoy them for yourself!

Chocolate: Caputo’s Wild Juruá + Wine: 2021 Abbuoto, Tomei, Sezze

In 2020, Matt Caputo of Caputo’s Market in Salt Lake City partnered with Luisa Abrams to save a unique strain of cacao that only grows along the Juruá River in Brazil’s Amazon jungle. A year later, with Caputo’s funding and Abrams’ renowned success in preserving wild sources of cacao, Wild Juruá was born. We’ve paired it with a wine whose grapes were harvested around the same time that the bar was released. Using native Abbuoto grapes, Marco Tomei makes a wine that honors the rich tradition of winemaking in the Lazio region of Italy, much the same way that Luisa Abrams fights to protect cacao harvesting traditions in Brazil.

Pairing Notes: The tannins in this wine take away its bitter notes, allowing the mushroomy chicory flavors to blend nicely with the subtle aromas of the chocolate and bring them out.

Alternative wines: a Barolo can be substituted for the Abbuoto

Chocolate: Qantu Dreams of Cashmere + Wine: 2015 Chaume 1e Cru, Château de Soucherie

Qantu’s Dreams of Cashmere bar is made in Montreal with Canadian goat milk and ancestral Bagua cacao beans from Peru. We’ve paired it with Château de Soucherie’s 2015 Chaume 1e Cru, a Chenin Blanc that’s fermented in barrels (about one-third of which are new) and then aged for 18 months.

Paring Notes: This pairing will blow your mind. A sip of the wine after a bite of the chocolate will melt the cacao flavors making your palate believe you’re eating goat cheese.

Alternative wine: any Coteaux du Layon (easier to find)

Chocolate: Pump Street Sourdough + Sea Salt + Wine: Champagne Quenardel Brut Réserve

Pump Street is an award-winning bakery in the village of Orford, England. This chocolate bar combines single-estate cacao grown in Ecuador with Pump Street’s sourdough crumbs, for a bar with a satisfying crunch and a smooth, malty flavor. We’ve paired it with Brut Réserve champagne from Maison Quenardel & Fils.

Pairing Notes: A dark chocolate pairs well with a drier champagne like this one, which has a low dosage (ie: very dry). The rich yeastiness from the long aging “on lees” of this wine blends in nicely with the toasty notes of the sourdough. The salt in the chocolate amps up the flavors, giving this pairing even more of a “pop”.

Alternative wine: any “brut” champagne — something yeasty & creamy but still dry

Chocolate: Dick Taylor Fleur de Sel Dark Chocolate + Wine: Saveiro ‘Vento do Oeste’ Madeira

Hand-harvested sea salt from Guatemala is blended with 73% dark chocolate to make Dick Taylor’s Fleur de Sel bar. Pair it with Saveiro’s ‘Vento do Oeste’ Madeira. The name ‘Vento do Oeste’ (westerly trade winds) is appropriate for this Madeira wine, which is aged in bourbon barrels shipped from Kentucky to Portugal.

Pairing Notes: The toasty sweet notes of the Madeira envelope the chocolate like a warm, cozy blanket while the salt adds a savory note to the experience.

Alternative wine: substitute any sweet Madeira

Chocolate: Meurisse Dark Orange + Wine: Giulio Cocchi Barolo Chinato

Made with 73% dark chocolate from Peru, Meurisse Dark Orange is infused with zesty notes of natural orange. Originally established in 1845, the Meurisse brand — once iconic in Belgium — has been recently revived. This bar is a great example of some of the exceptional chocolate that’s been born of the revival, and we’ve paired it with a Barolo Chinato from Cocchi. Infused with a variety of aromatic spices, this Italian dessert wine makes an ideal digestif and pairs nicely with a dark chocolate.

Pairing Notes: The herbaceous notes are a nice match to the bitterness in the dark chocolate, while the campari-like notes in the wine will come out with the orange peel in the chocolate. You’ll be left with an intense finish that is both dry and sweet and will leave your mouth wanting for more.

Alternative wine: substitute any chinato

If this doesn’t leave you hankering for chocolate and wine, we don’t know what will! We invite you to try these pairings for yourself. All of the chocolate mentioned here is available in both of our retail locations and in our online store.

For those local to Dedham, we highly recommend checking out Satellite Bottle Shop in Dedham Square. We’ll be there on November 17, 2023 from 3–7pm with all of the chocolate mentioned here for a wine & chocolate tasting with Stan!

For more information on how to purchase the wine glasses shown in the photos, check out our Spanish Wine Glasses.

Salut!

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Wine & Chocolate: A Tasting with Satellite Bottle Shop