With our presents exchanged and me smiling because even a day early Santa got me everything I wanted, It was time to sit and watch a few Christmas oldies while playing a game of phase 10. A few weeks ago my wife had promised me that if I passed my PT test in November, She would make a delicious dessert with bourbon clearly evident in the final product. After much deliberation she decided on a bourbon chocolate fudge. When She ran it by me, I melted at the idea. I love fudge; I love bourbon; Together, how can they go wrong?
So as we settled into the couch for cards and Christmas movies, we each had a saucer of what was to be chocolate bourbon fudge. Unfortunately, the fudge didn't quite get finished hardening so it was more of a chocolate bourbon syrup or pudding. However even in its unhardened state, the chocolaty goodness was delicious. The embedded walnuts were laidened with Gentleman's Jack. It is my bourbon of choice on most occasions and this was no exception.
Now for the good part, the wine pairing. This summer for some reason I had run where several desserts wines made it to my cellar. This is quite unusual if you know me and my tastes. Most often I found tasting and drinking dessert wines very challenging. I like their sweetness and often subtle raisin like flavors, but the burn of the extra alcohol content leaves me less than pleased.
With richness of tonight's dessert I figured it would mask any burn of the extra alcohol. The wine I chose for our Christmas eve dessert pairing was the
2008 Othello from
Veritas vineyards in Afton, Va. This wine smelled heavily of raisin grapes. It had cool rich raisin flavor on the pallet, and displayed a light burn of alcohol on the finish. The best part of all is the lack of syrup that often accompanies VA port style wines .
Having read that description, I guess that could be said of many dessert wines from the state. Being this is made of several red varietals I guess I'm disappointed with that description. However, it is probably more to my lack of drinking dessert wines, then of the lack of complexity from Othello. I find that is the experience I have with dessert wines, unless they of the Late Harvest Vidal variety in which I get more honey characteristics.
In the end, The reason I liked this dessert wine was quite apparent, it paired well with our sweet rich flavor of my bourbon fudge. Now if only we could know why it didn't harden properly? Any suggestions from those in Internet land?
