In addition to offering an incredible selection of wines at wholesale prices direct to the consumer, vintage ports and Madeiras from the eighteenth century to today, Orleans Wine and Spirits features an outstanding selection of imported chocolates to enhance your enjoyment of the good life.
From Belgium, home of the finest chocolates in the world, we have a selection of Cote d'Or chocolates, including bars and incredible confections.
The bars come in two delicious flavors, Noir de Noir (Dark, 56% cocoa) and Lait (Milk, 32% cocoa). Either flavor soothes the most demanding connoisseur of sweet delights. Each wrapped bar contains two foil wrapped, 75 gram bars of Côte d'Or's signature dark or milk chocolate. This is incredible chocolate - rich, gooey, dense, just amazing.
We also have two incredible Cote d'Or confections, Noisettes and Sensations.
Noisettes are a fabulous large white, milk (lait) or dark (noir de noir) chocolate bar filled with and incredible amount of very fresh, buttery and crunchy hazelnuts. This candy is unusual in the quality and quantity of both the chocolate and the nuts -- some bars are simply chocolate with pieces of hazelnut, but not so Noisettes. These bars taste more like fresh hazelnuts coated with fine chocolate -- a delightful treat by itself or perhaps with a fine tawny port.
Sensations, available in milk and dark or straight dark (noir de noir), are truly sensational confections. Thin and light, they are an intense explosion of tremendous, rich chocolate flavor. The milk and dark has two thin layers of milk (lait) surrounding a rich layer of dark (noir de noir) with a delightful, creamy texture and flavor reminiscent of a fine truffle. The straight dark is a unique interpretation of deep cocoa flavor with a fine edge.
From France we have selected the world famous Valrhona chocolates, offering two flavors, Le Noir Amer (71% cacao) and Le Lacte (40% cacao) and a selection of exceptional chocolates from the Valrhona 'Grand Cru' series.
Guanaja is the bitter dark Grand Cru of Dark Chocolate from South America. With a 70% cocoa content it is the best known of the Valrhona Grand Crus, as it was the first to delight the lovers of bitter dark chocolate.
On July 30th, 1502 Christopher Columbus landed on the Island of Guanaja, offshore from Honduras. Valrhona has given this legendary name to the most powerful of its chocolate Grands Crus.
Valrhona has rediscovered the best cocoas, Criollos, with the aroma of flowers and fruit, and the Trinitarios, typified by a strong bouquet, and mixed them all together in an exceptional bitterness. The intense taste brought out by hints of flowers reveals intensity - exceptionally long on the palate.
Caraïbe, the sweet, dark Valrhona Grand Cru chocolate (66% cocoa)offers the delicate scents of fruity sweet Trinitarios cacao highlighted with slivers of grilled Roman hazelnuts for a crunchy taste.
In the Caribbean, for generations the Trinitarios cacao trees have been grown under the tropical heat in a loamy clay soil. The rich scents of these fine cocoas make a chocolate with an exceptional bouquet. Its fruity sweetness, with only a hint of sugar, brings out the delicate flavors of almond and roasted coffee.
Caraïbe is a Grand Cru ideal for lovers of full balanced chocolate. It will bring out all the aroma of a soft coffee with its hints of roasted dried fruit as an aftertaste.
Manjari is the perfect melange of fruity dark Valrhona Grand Cru chocolate from the Indian Ocean (64% cocoa) and the fragrance of preserved orange peel. This chocolate comes from the best beans from Madagascar. A slightly bitter bouquet with hints of soft fruit escapes from the richness of the precious and fragile Criollos and Trinitarios.
Discover an authentic Grand Cru whose surprising aromas leave no one unmoved.
The origins of Valrhona Chocolate go back to 1922 in the Rhone Valley of France. Since then, the mission of Valrhona has been to create exceptional chocolate, utilizing the natural aromas of the various cocoa growing regions and in keeping with the traditions of the French chocolate making craft.
We have recently introduced El Rey, an incredible new type of chocolate from Venezuela, which, like a fine wine made from carefully selected grapes or a gourmet olive oil made from the finest olives, are produced using the world's most flavorful and aromatic regional types
of criollo and trinitario cacao beans, such as the
famed Carnero beans. These chocolates combine just
the right degree of acidity with a pronounced chocolate flavor.
They contain 100% Venezuelan
Carenero Superior beans, one of the most sought after beans in the world, which are grown exclusively in
Barlovento, east of Caracas and make up nearly 1% of the world's cocoa supply. In 1996 El Rey became the
first Venezuelan company to export its own premium chocolate, mainly to the USA and Japan. Chocolates El
Rey was established in 1929 by Carmelo Tuozzo and his son in law Jose Rafael Zozaya.
The names Gran Saman, Apamate, Bucare, Mijao, Caoba are taken from the trees that since the 1600's have shaded the groves of cacao trees. The percent (%) indicates what portion of the total formula is comprised of some part of the cacao bean – namely, cacao liquor (or mass), cacao powder, and/or cacao butter. All are flavored with natural vanilla.
We presently offer all six varieties of El Rey chocolates, Icoa (white), Caoba (milk, 41% cacao), Bucare (dark, 58.5%), Mijao (dark, 61% cacao), Gran Saman(Dark, 70%
cacao) and Apamate,(Dark, 73.5% cacao).
Icoa chocolate redefines world standards of excellence. Pure and fragrant it is made only with non-deodorized cacao butter (deodorization is a chemical process that strips flavor), and the flavor is unmistakably "chocolate." Icoa was the name of an Indian goddess adored by the native Indian tribes because she was beautiful, pure, and believed to have a white soul. After her death crossing Lake Maracaibo to marry a chieftain, she became a goddess and protector of those who travel by rivers and lakes.
Once you try Caoba you will be hooked for life. Caoba is an extraordinary milk chocolate, smooth in texture, with wonderful caramel and earthy flavors. Nothing ordinary here.
After your first bite of Bucare this will be a lifelong relationship. This chocolate is balanced to perfection to achieve a robust cacao aroma yet a gentle softness that weakens the knees. Bucare brings harmony to any chocolate dessert.
Preserving all the qualities of Bucare, El Rey added just a bit of cacao butter for smoothness and fluidity to create Mijao. This is delicate and balanced for flavor, aroma, and the subtle, lingering delight of dark chocolate.
Gran Saman is for the true chocoholic who seeks that deep dark chocolate taste. The intense and robust flavor of this chocolate is endless with complex notes of fruit, flower, nut and spice.
Apamate is earthy and toasty with a hint of spice. El Rey chocolatiers took their Gran Saman chocolate and added just the right amount of extra cacao butter to enhance smoothness and fluidity without compromising flavor. The results are out of this world.
In our continuing quest to offer the world's finest chocolates, we have added selections from the Belgian chocolatier Chocolove. We chose these chocolates because they offer a unique superdark 77% bar, a strong 70% bar and two fabulous organic bars, as well as four tasty chocolate and fruit combinations.
The Extra Dark bar with its 77% cocoa content, is one of the strongest
chocolate bars made for eating. Especially for the dedicated chocolate enthusiast, it has been crafted to deliver intense cocoa flavor while keeping bitterness and acidity in check.
This artful blend of Belgian and French chocolates is made from African and South American cocoa beans.
The second offering from Chocolove is Strong Dark 70%, a very strong chocolate made of a rich blend of African cocoa beans with a small amount of Caribbean cocoa beans added to create a full-bodied chocolate. It's carefully roasted for complete development of cocoa-flavor notes. Extra cocoa butter is added to balance to the strong cocoa flavor and provide a smooth mouth feel. Just enough sugar is used to soften the bitter notes. A long conching time produces an exceptionally fine particle size and a balanced flavor.
Upon eating, the cocoa butter quickly gives way to a strong cocoa flavor. The intense and rounded cocoa flavor carries through in a long lasting, but smooth, aftertaste. This is a strong cocoa flavor from start to finish.
Chocolove offers two award winning certified organic bars, one with 73% cocoa, the second at 61%. They both offer fabulous taste and organic quality. On a Caribbean island, organic farming has stimulated cocoa trees to produce cocoa beans that are full of character. The big fruity flavor, acidity and bitterness of the beans are artfully crafted into a balanced, full-bodied, premium chocolate as only the Belgians know how. Upon eating, the extra cocoa butter softly gives way to tangy, bittersweet cocoa flavor. Satisfying and intriguing. You'll want more.
The first in the unique chocolate and fruit combinations features rich, dark 65% cocoa content chocolate which gives way to soft sugar crystals coating moist chunks of ginger. The Caribbean cocoa beans and 65% cocoa content match the initially sweet and hot-spicy flavor of the ginger. The transition from chocolate to ginger on the finish leaves you wanting more!
The second fruit chocolate combo is a rich Belgian Dark chocolate with Cherries and Almonds. The crunchy chewy combination of cherries and almonds provides a delicious flavor contrast initially and gradually blends in with the rich complex cocoa flavor of the dark chocolate. This chocolate is made primarily from African cocoa beans. The 55% cocoa content provides just enough sweetness with a full-bodied cocoa flavor. This dynamic combination is sure to please the most discriminating chocolate lover.
The third of the Chocolove dark chocolate and fruit offerings is the smooth yet complex Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate (55%). Freeze drying captures the aromatic flavor of orange peel, which is enveloped in smooth Belgian chocolate. In the mouth, the chocolate melts and the crispy bits of orange peel release their flavor. Chocolate and orange unite exquisitely, then relax into a lasting orange finish.
Finally we offer the tart and tangy flavor of raspberries enveloped in smooth, dark Belgian chocolate. As the chocolate melts, the crispy bits of raspberries burst with flavor. The chocolate and raspberries contrast initially, then come together in a harmonious union, finishing with a chocolate note and tiny raspberry seeds.
After many inquiries we decided to offer an American chocolate in addition to our other imported items. Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker of San Francisco was founded by long-time friends Robert Steinberg and John Scharffenberger to produce chocolate of the highest quality from the finest cacao beans.
A family physician, Robert had stopped his full-time practice of medicine in 1990 when he became ill with lymphoma. His love of food eventually took him to the renowned Bernachon Chocolatier in Lyons, France where he learned the basics of making pure chocolate.
John had sold his successful winery, Scharffenberger Cellars, and was taking some time off when Robert approached him with the idea of producing chocolate in the United States using artisanal European methods. John’s skill in creating a successful business based on agriculture and food seemed to fit naturally with Robert’s knowledge.
In 1996, nearly 30 varieties of cacao beans were tested for flavor in Robert's kitchen. A hair dryer, coffee grinder, and mortar and pestle simulated the chocolate making process. In 1997, they made their first batch in the South San Francisco factory using vintage European equipment.
The secrets of their pure dark chocolate lies in careful attention to bean selection, blending, roasting, and conching, as well as the special care of small-batch processing. The Bittersweet Bar, their signature 70% blend, now comes in the perfect size for eating after a meal or with espresso, and the 62% Semisweet Bar is an ultra-smooth blend all on its own.
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WINE & CHOCOLATE
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
OVERALL: Royal Tokaji
WHITE CHOCOLATE: Tawny Port
DARK CHOCOLATE: Ruby or Vintage Port
GENERAL: Young, Fruity Cabernets, Champagne, Banyuls, fruit-flavored liqueurs such as Chambord or Prime Arance, dry Bourbon (Booker’s, Hancock’s Reserve, Pappy Van Winkle), Cognac or Armagnac (Delemain is suggested)
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Read an Article from the Wine Enthusiast, February, 2002 "The Art of Darkness"
Read an Article from the Wine Spectator, January 31, 2002 "Singular Chocolate"
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