Chocolate, Wine and Valentine's Day in Paso Robles

by Tina Swithin

The mere mention of Valentine’s Day and I think CHOCOLATE!  The two go hand in hand.  I spent the afternoon tasting some exquisite chocolate and wine at Le Vigne Winery in Paso Robles.  On my visit, I had the pleasure of meeting with Zina Miakinkova who is the "queen of pairing".  Whether you are indulging in one of their famous Panini’s, cheese or chocolate, she is your go-to person!

The History of Chocolate with Zina Miakinkova:
The most important component of chocolate is the cocoa bean.  Amazingly enough both cocoa and Vanilla both come from the Oaxaca valley of Mexico.  The first people clearly known to have discovered the secret of cacao were the Mayans  in 250-900 C.E.. The Maya and their ancestors in Mesoamerica took the tree from the rainforest and grew it in their own backyards, where they harvested, fermented, roasted, and ground the seeds into a paste. When mixed with water, chile peppers, cornmeal, and other ingredients, this paste made a frothy, spicy chocolate drink.

It was adopted by the Aztecs by 1400s and used during ceremonies and was considered sacred.  It was always made into a beverage and only the royalty and priests were allowed to drink it.  Cocoa beans are naturally very bitter.  The Aztecs used to add chilies and spices to make it palatable.  This can still be tasted in traditional Mexican hot chocolate. 

It was not until the Spanish Conquistadors conquered Mexico in the 1521 that sugar was added to it to make it taste more like the chocolate we all know and love.  The Spaniards carefully guarded the secret of the delicious cocoa bean for almost 100 years.  Until the 1600s Spain was the exclusive import of cocoa.  Chocolate’s evolution was not over yet.  It was not until the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s that chocolate finally took on a solid form. 

Valentine's Day Double Decadence

Le Vigne Winery’s Valentine’s Day Double Decadence is an experience that will be on my Valentine's Day calendar year after year.  I indulged in a fabulous line-up of Le Vigne wine paired with some of the most interesting chocolates such as a Lindt White Coconut (white chocolate with delicate coconut flakes) paired with the 2009 Kiara Reserve Chardonnay and the Veritas Nib True Flat (South America and Ivory Coast Cacao nibs with deep rich dark chocolate) paired with the 2006 Le Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon.  Sounds amazing, doesn't it?  It gets better.  There were also two chocolate fountains: white chocolate walnut and dark chocolate hazelnut complete with a huge assortment of items to "dip" such as mangos, marshmellows, cherries and pistachios.  It was heaven.    

If you don’t have the chance to stop by this Valentine’s Day weekend, stop by on another weekend for their regular cheese pairings or other fabulous events. 

Le Vigne Winery is located at 5115 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles (805) 227-4000.

Tina Swithin is the PR Coordinator and Blog Manager for TravelPaso.com where she writes Pairings in Paso and other blog-a-licious Paso Robles articles.  Follow the Paso Robles Insider to get the inside scoop on all the haps in Paso Robles Wine Country.