Patrick of Vacano & Harald Sorst – Chocolate & Wine

Flavors of different provenance only match in harmony when they have the same expression, or "soul". That means: a dish cooked without love will never harmonize with a wine of depth and character, and vice versa. This is one of my beliefs and so I always try to bring together foods and wines with soul. When I got to know Original Beans, one of my first impressions was that these chocolates had their own soul. And when we decided to work together on our Chocolate & Wine Project, the task at hand was daunting: to match four soulful chocolates with four soulful wines.

 

The challenge was to explore and present the uniqueness as well as kinships of the product combinations. I like to imagine our chocolate and wine pairings as people: The Beni Wild Harvest 66%, a spirited, honey-skinned samba dancer from Bolivia, swings with the French lady Marie Nostra in stylish movements while she grounds him.

The large wine of Siben Erben, this Riesling from the Forster Ungeheuer, helps the sweet, precious girl Esmeraldas Milk 42% from Ecuador onto the big stage. Perhaps the most equal of pairs are the Piura Porcelana 75% and Les Cades of Pech Redon, both unique and complex compositions that result in a dazzling interplay. And finally, the Cru Virunga 70% - dark, powerful, tangy – to which the bold Rasteau Vin Doux Naturelle in the end submits. I enjoy seducing people with flavors that have no limits except those of harmony. Welcome to the world of pleasure, where we get enchanted by flavors and by relationships that deepen our souls.