Hahndorf Hill Winery – The ChocoVino experience comes to the Rob Roy Hotel
Chocolate and wine tasting they said….I was in! Not wanting to pass up the opportunity to attend the Hahndorf Hill Winery’s world acclaimed “ChocoVino” wine tasting experience at the Rob Roy Hotel. I accepted the invitation with much anticipation.
Firstly before I go on you should know. The ChocoVino experience has been included in CNN’s top 10 Global adventures for chocoholics, and has also ranked in the top 10 for Food and Wine touring options for South Australia; which are some very impressive accolades indeed.
Our host for the evening was Hahndorf Hill’s very own Brand Ambassador, Jack Simmons. Now for someone like me, who is certainly no wine or food connoisseur, I found him both hugely informative and entertaining; from beginning to end, he had my attention, making my wine tasting experience a lot of fun.
Before the ChocoVino experience commenced, we were treated to a gorgeous entrée and main course. We started things off with a yummy Margherita Pizza, accompanied by a really crisp white wine called “White Mischief”. This was my favourite wine on the night; The White Mischief is from an Austrian variety called Gruner Veltliner, which Hahndorf Hill has been pioneering in the Adelaide Hills now for ten years. I highly recommend this wine.
Pizza would usually suffice for me, but the main was now on its way; a selection of Crispy skin barramundi, with a Vietnamese salad and mashed pea puree. This was truly sublime. Next was a succulent beef sirloin with roast potatoes, cooked to perfection. Accompanied by a 2015 Shiraz that went down a treat. Also be sure to try the 2016 vintage Sauv Blanc, which was perfectly matched to the tasty fish and salad. This Sauv Blanc has not been formally released, but will be available from the cellar door from Monday 26th of September.
All of this got me to thinking…..Are fine wine and good chocolate a match made in heaven? I really do think so. The ChocoVino was up next, and let me tell you, this was a true experience for the senses.
I found this whole experience fascinating. It was also more educational than I had first expected. Through the experience, I found out an interesting thing or two about the chocolate bean, its history and its uses within the culinary industry. Tonight there were three types of chocolate being offered up; The first of the three pairings was the very popular 2015 “Gru” Gruner Veltliner with the Daintree Estates Dark Milk, which at 52% cocoa, is the world’s most intense milk chocolate. This was my personal favourite. It seriously melted in your mouth the moment you ate it. The second pairing was the Michel Cluzel “Mokaya”, another gourmet chocolate, whose beans are sourced from Mexico, with a cocoa content of 66%. This was paired with a special Rose; Just sublime. The final pairing was a red wine produced exclusively in Australia by Hahndorf Hill Winery, Blaufrankisch, paired with what is internationally recognized as one of the world’s most elite chocolates, the Amedei Chuao. Which has a cocoa content of 70%. This combination just blew my mind; Yum.
This whole experience was just a delight, and I highly recommend it if you are a wine or chocolate lover! I will most definitely be making a visit to the Hahndorf Hill Winery with some friends in the future. ChocoVino runs every day from 11am to 5pm, with some of the world’s most famous chocolate houses represented on the menu; make sure you check it out.
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