By Denise Sharon Cahill, Western Suburbs Weekly
THE wood fire was enough to lure my friend and I in the front door of Hahndorf Hill Winery on a typical South Australian winter’s afternoon, and the wine was obviously our reason for being there.
But the chocolate was an added bonus that had us spreading the word about this rare but simple initiative – matching wine and chocolate.
The seven-year-old winery calls it ChocoVino, and Hahndorf Hill was one of the first Australian wineries to offer the combined tastings regularly, seven days a week.
Owner Marc Dobson, who runs the winery with co-owner Larry Jacobs, said a few establishments had offered the combination tasting at events and festivals over the past decade but until recently, no one had made it a regular feature.
Mr Dobson said since starting the ChocoVino late last year, a winery in McLaren Vale had introduced the experience and another was due to start soon in the Adelaide Hills.
“We think we may have started a trend,” he said.
My friend and I chose a combination of our favourite wine blends – there are several tasting choices available – and it was incredible to discover how a hint of chocolate could bring out slightly different flavours in the wine.
The chocolate is ‘single-origin’, meaning it is made from beans in one particular area, and the chocolate reflects the flavours of that area, similar to wine.
ChocoVino co-ordinator Grant Coates said matching a single-origin chocolate to a regional wine allowed people to explore the concept of terroir in a unique way.
Grant said his favourite match was also one of the most unusual – the Hahndorf Hill Winery Pinot Grigio 2009 with a chic Belgian chocolate infused with the flavours of Earl Grey tea.
“The combination sounds exotic but the effect on the palate is so harmonious, you just want to keep on eating and drinking,” he said.
There is more to the experience than wine and chocolate at Hahndorf Hill though.
The glass-lined tasting room overlooks some of the 6ha of vines (shiraz, sauvignon blanc, gruner veltliner, blaufrankisch, zweigelt and trollinger) and packages include Cape Grim water from north-west Tasmania, which is recognised by scientists and governments as being the purest bottled rain water in the world.
Hollywood A-listers sipped on the water at the Oscars, it is served in Qantas first-class and was the H2O of choice for the opening of Tiffanys in London.
Visitors can experience ChocoVino for about $20, depending on the package, or there is a Purely Chocolate tasting for $10.
Visit the website at www.hahndorfhillwinery.com.au for more information.