Chocolate pairing in Cape Town
Chocolate tastes better when paired with your favourite tipple
Last Update: February 24, 2017
Not just a tempting aphrodisiac, chocolate pairs well with a variety of liquors. It makes sweet work of your glass of dry red wine, enhances the fruit flavours in your tumbler of whisky and complements the spice, vanilla and cinnamon notes found in brandy.
At the Van Ryn Brandy Distillery, brandies are twice distilled in traditional copper potstil and aged in 340 litre, air-dried oak barrels, imported from France. Their brandy, coffee and chocolate pairing couples three potstil brandies with hand-made Belgian chocolate, served with single-plantation, Honduran coffee.
When: Monday to Friday, between 8:30am and 4:30pm and on Saturday, between 9am and 2pm.
Cost: R90p/p for 3 Belgian chocolates and 3 KWV brandies.
What to try: 12 Year Old Distillers Reserve’s rich flavours are best complemented by handmade, Belgian chocolate.
Aan-de-Wagenweg | Stellenbosch | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 881 3875
Creation
The beautiful Hemel-en-Aarde Valley has exceptional wine growing conditions. Taste Creation Voignier, Creation Merlot and Creation Syrah Grenache, are paired with different flavour profiles of chocolate, which match each of the wines.
When: Every day, between 9am and 5pm, except for Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Cost: R105p/p for four chocolate, three glassed of red wine and 1 glass of white wine.
What to try: Richard Tomes and Richard von Geusau combine two different chocolates of origin with freeze dried plums and pink peppercorns - a chocolate recipe perfectly matched to Creation Syrah Grenache 2009.
Hemel en Aarde Road | Hermanus | Western Cape | +27 (0)28 212 1107
Klipdrift
The legendary range of brandies at this Robertson distillery are still made to the original specifications of founder, JP Marais. You’ll receive complimentary tastings of three brandies, paired with sweet and savoury nibbles, as well as a tour of the distillery.
Cost: R95 for chocolate truffle and R70 for chocolate fudge
When: Monday to Friday, between 8am and 5pm, Saturday between 9am and 4pm, and Sundays between 10am and 3pm.
What to try: Klipdrift Gold paired with a dark chocolate truffle.4 Vortrekker Street | Robertson | Western Cape | +27 (0)23 626 3027
KWV
When: Monday to Saturday, between 9am and 4pm and Sundays, between 11am and 4pm.
Cost: R60p/p.
What to try: KWV 10 Year Old brandy is complex, with rich flavours of dried fruit, peaches and apricot, nuts and spice; best paired with fine Belgian Milk Chocolate, which enhances purity and creates an even smoother and mellower feel on the palate.KWV Wine Emporium | Dr AJ Du Toit Building | Kohler Street | Souther-Paarl | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 807 3120
Jorgensen’s Distillery
Owners, Roger and Dawn Jorgensen, hand craft premium spirits, including Primitiv Vodka, absinthe, limoncello and potstill brandy, made from botanicals grown on their property. Casual tasters can sample their entire range, which will soon include a gin.
Cost: free of charge.
When: by appointment only.
What to try: Jorgensen’s amber Savingnac (cognac), with notes of rich brown spice, followed by dense toffee hazelnut and vanilla, is best paired with light and moist, homemade chocolate brownies.
Versailles Farm | Regent Street | Wellington | Western Cape | +27 (0)21 864 1777
By Lisa Nevitt
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COMING IN JULY: Country-style nose-to-tail dining at Viande.
Read our overview of restaurants offering food and wine pairings.
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