I love wine. I love chocolate. When I hear about a wine and chocolate pairing event that is only 15 minutes away, I'm going. Period.
I must say though, that when I go to any wine bar that is not my happy place I feel as if I am cheating. However, every time I do cheat, I never go back (to that place again), I don't really enjoy it, and I come out of the experience loving my happy place even more and being able to confirm that yes, it is THE best wine bar around (as if there was ever any doubt).
The Bottle Stop is a wine bar in Occoquan that used to be the Olde Dominion Wine Shoppe. I wasn't really impressed with it in its former life and while it is quite quaint and like a neighborhood joint now (which I'm always fond of), it still didn't do much for me. Perhaps if I went frequently or lived in the little town, I'd feel differently. I don't regret going, but it wasn't very welcoming (although it wasn't unwelcoming) and the wine selection is very sparce. I would be remiss if I didn't say that the lack of organization, talking while the presenter was talking and not starting on time was also unnerving.
This event was with Precept Wines (out of the Northwest part of the US) and Kingsbury Chocolates and Confections in the NoVA/DC area.
We had five wines and 10 chocolates. The wines were nothing to"write home about" and the chocolates were divine (most of them) but we definitely overindulged. I love chocolate but by the time I got home that evening, I didn't want to even hear the word "chocolate," much less smell or eat a piece, for a while. Everything in moderation, right? Yeah, not so much that night.
No regrets, though!
1. Two Pond Sauvignon Blanc paired with Limoncello Cream and L'Orange de Provence bar
The wine was very clear in color; almost a white color. It smelled of grapefruit, as I think most Sav Blancs do, and tasted of grapefruit and was very clean and tart.
Browne, the winemaker, who came from the West Coast for the event, told us, "If you want to be clean at the end of the night, drink this wine." Hmm.... yeah, I'll let you think on that one. Do I usually get dirty as the night goes on?
The limoncello chocolate took away the tartness of the wine, which made me happy. The white chocolate bar tasted and smelled like lavender (which is one of my favorite smells on this planet!). I enjoyed the bar a lot and could easily have eaten a ton of that one.
2. Browne Family Chardonnay paired with Tiramisu Truffle and Hazelnut Toffee bar (pictured below)
The Chardonnay had a buttery smell and another distinct aroma that I couldn't place. He said something about the grapes being 50% dycon (sp?) clone and having to do with mustard. After tasting the wine and hearing about the "mustard" comment, we decided that it was the smell and taste of "mustard butter" which is why it was so atrocious! I love a good oaky, buttery Chardonnay but this was just all kinds of wrong and didn't taste anything like a Chardonnay. In fact, you know something is wrong when I enjoyed a Sav Blanc over a Chardonnay.
The truffle chocolate was fantastic on its own and tasted EXACTLY like tiramisu. The hazlenut bar was also good alone but it still didn't improve the wine. I doubt anything could.
3. Sawtooth Skyline Cabernet-Merlot paired with Chambord Cream and 72% Grand Cru Bar
The winemaker called this a "go-to weekday" wine. I was excited about this wine because last year I had stumbled upon it at the Little Washington Winery, or so I thought. I was enamoured by it because it was from IDAHO! Yes, we're talking wine, not potatoes. This winemaker didn't feel it necessary to talk about why Idaho is good for growing grapes but luckily I had already found that out from past experiences. While we all think that Idaho is good for nothing but growing potatoes, it makes sense for wine because it is right on the border of Oregon. Hmm.... think of the US map - not so odd now really.
Browne stated that Northwest wines should be paired with food and when they are, magic is created. Something is created, not sure if it's magic though. I'll leave that up to other people to figure out - not a fan so far. The smell was woodsy and the taste was well, not the same as when I tried it last year. It did nothing for me and was definitely not magical. I think that the problem is that it was chilled. At this point in the night I became disappointed.
However, my research afterward proved that maybe I shouldn't be too disappointed because while this Idaho wine was the same winemaker and label it was not the same red wine! This was the Cab/Merlot blend and the one that I tried last year was the Sawtooth Skyline RED BLEND which is completely different! Phew! The one that I tried previously, which impressed me, was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, Malbec, Syrah and Grenache! All hope is not lost after all! A trip back to Little Washington Winery is definitely needed!
The Chambord chocolate was nothing exciting and the wine didn't even improve it. The bar was very bitter and I needed water - a vat of it - to get the taste out of my mouth. Next.....
4. Browne Family Tribute Merlot-Cabernet paired with Hickory Smoked Chipotle Caramel and Mole con Tocino Bar
With this wine, Browne stated, "Some of us can kill a bottle of wine in 20 minutes," but suggested that you let it evolve over a couple of hours. Interesting. Not sure why anyone would want to chug a bottle of wine. (shaking my head on this one) Vodka or rum maybe, but not wine.
My first thought when I smelled this wine was "dirty river water" and my second sniff reminded me of the 90 gallon fish aquarium that I had....when it needed to be cleaned. Yeah, after that, I still drank it. It tasted like a Virginia Cab Franc, with a lingering harsh aftertaste. Not a fan. Definitely wouldn't chug this one. Maybe decanting would help. Let's say at $37, I've had a lot better wines so this was not going home with me.
The chipotle chocolate was very spicy (big surprise!) and it made the wine much better. However, the caramel was so chewy that I couldn't even eat the entire piece. I'm a texture girl and no matter how delicious it is, if it has an unruly texture, I'm done. Eating the bar and then drinking the wine brought out the spice and bacon taste out in the chocolate. It made me crave Mexican food. I would have killed for a basket of tortilla chips.
5. Browne Family 2010 Cabernet paired with Mocha Truffle and Shoyu Bar
This wine is in honor of the winemaker's grandfather who was in pre-WWII Bordeaux and enjoyed Cabs. This wine had me at "tribute to grandfather".
Browne stated that Washington state wines are best when you let them evolve over an evening; even a couple of days if you can. He suggested (what a ploy to buy his wine) that you buy six bottles of the same wine, take notes and try one every six months to a year to see how it evolves. Definitely a great idea just for the fun of it if nothing else. But I'd chose a wine I already liked but was young for this experiment.
The mocha truffle was infused with vanilla vodka and absolutely divine. The bar (slang for Japanese soy sauce) had a great touch of sea salt and was the confectioner's top seller, which showed.
This wine/chocolate combination was by far the best of the night. The wine was good alone, the chocolate was good alone, and together they worked very nicely. It still was not good enough to take home and enjoy but at least the best of the night was saved for last.
At the end of the night, by a show of hands, the winemaker asked the particpants to choose which chocolate went with each wine better. Those who got all of them correct (based on majority vote) would get a free bottle shipped to them. I got all 5 of them correct but refrained from my leaving my information. I didn't like the wines. Can you tell?
After the event we browsed the store's wine selection and didn't find much. I liked that they had two Sean Minor's but I can get those at my happy place. I also liked that they had the Riesling that I tried with the limoncello wine last month. I also found this cool overpriced painting. I was going to buy it for my parents' new beach house but then saw the price. Uh.... no. I can re-enact that painting with actual items and photograph it and hang it on the wall instead!
Best of all though, and confirmation that I definitely did not belong at this wine bar, was finding Chef Mike's crab salsa for sale! Yes, Chef Mike, the Chef and part owner of my happy place! If that wasn't a sign to go home, I don't know what was!
So long, Bottle Stop. Thanks for playing!
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