Wine was toasted and chocolates were devoured during the annual Fred Parks Lectureship on April 30.
Dr. Chris Taylor, professor and director of the Beverage Management Program and Fred Parks Wine Cellar, provided an excellent presentation on exquisite wines. Alongside him, Dany Kamkhagi, owner and head chocolatier at Mostly Chocolate & Catering, provided a wonderfully informative conversation about fine chocolates.
After attending a Pinot Noir tasting years ago, Taylor’s perspective on wine and food pairings was changed forever. So, for the first Fred Parks pairing, he wanted to gift attendees this same experience.
In 1995, Taylor visited Willamette Valley in Oregon for a wine tasting seminar at a winery named Acacia. Here, he met a family who was quite passionate about their chocolate and wine combo. He spoke to the winemaker of an outstanding Pinot Noir and was pleasantly surprised when they offered him a rich raspberry chocolate that brought out the structure of the wine, its flavor, its nose and its aroma.
“I’ve recreated this very same pairing, experience and variety that I had 30 years ago for guests at the lectureship,” said Taylor.
Taylor and Kamkhagi paired the 2022 Soter Estates Pinot Noir with the raspberry rose chocolate. The pinot’s white rose notes paired very well with the rose water and raspberry infusion of the chocolate for a very good acid balance.
After just this first sample, ooos and ahhs filled the ballroom; it became clear that the candy and wine pairing was indeed an experience everyone needed in their lives.
Another fascinating and surprising pairing included Pop Rocks – yes, you did read that right. During an apprenticeship, Kamkhagi learned from a sous chef who infused Pop Rocks into chocolate for a competition. A childhood favorite candy, he knew this combo needed to be incorporated into Mostly Chocolate & Catering.
“I have this hazelnut paste that I make from scratch and it goes inside a hazelnut chocolate shell comprised of cocoa beans, cocoa butter and milk powder,” said Kamkhagi. “My team cut the sweetness and added in a bunch of Pop Rocks to the center of the chocolate, thus, the Galaxy Chocolate was born. This sweet treat instantly became my favorite.”
To no surprise, the whimsical chocolate has won several awards here in Houston for its innovative flavors. For the Lectureship, they paired this chocolatey goodness with the 2022 Groth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. This tannic, oaky wine could have easily been scary for chocolates but the hazelnut nuttiness and uniqueness of the popping candy really made for a fun pairing!
Some of the other pairings included the Chandon Brut Rosé with the passion fruit chocolate; the 2022 Post and Beam Far Neite Cabernet Sauvignon with the coffee and cardamom candy; the 2022 Ridge Three Valley Zinfandel with the house praline chocolate; and the 2022 Ridge Pagani Ranch Zinfandel with the rosemary and olive oil chocolate.