SWEET C ALL
Treat your valentine to something sweet (and bitter)
By Hana-Lee Sedgwick
N
ot to downplay the appeal of wine and chocolate on Valentine’s Day, but sometimes it can seem a tad boring. So, if you’re looking to think outside the box—of generic chocolates, that is—and score some bonus points with your Valentine this year (or just treat yourself), we’d suggest reaching for something a little more unexpected, like a locally-made digestif with artisan chocolates, perhaps! What is a digestif, you may ask? Well, just like an apéritif is an alcoholic beverage traditionally served before a meal to stimulate one’s appetite, a digestif is served after a meal, to aid in digestion. There are many styles of digestifs, from fortified wines like Sherry to herbal liqueurs like Chartreuse, but one that goes particularly well with chocolate is Amaro. Less sweet than dessert wine, Amaro is a high alcohol bitter liqueur made with a neutral spirit or wine and macerated with an assortment of bitter herbs, roots, and spices. Though rooted in Italian tradition, there are plenty of domestic Amari to note, including some made right here in Santa Barbara County. One popular offering is Margerum’s 12-Year Solera Amaro. Inspired by his time in Italy, Winemaker Doug Margerum started making his own version of Amaro 13 years ago. Described as a “sweetly bitter digestif,” his house recipe mixes fortified wine with herbs like sage and thyme, dried orange peels, caramelized simple syrup, roots, and tree bark, then ages it in cask outdoors using the solera methodology. (Pro tip: The solera method is a fractional aging and blending process that helps maintain a “house style” by blending young liquid into old liquid and aging them together, which develops richer, more complex characteristics). While Margerum says his Amaro is “perfect straight up after dinner or used in a Manhattan,” he also thinks it’s great paired with chocolate—so much so that he offers an Amaro and chocolate pairing, featuring locally-made Twenty-Four Blackbirds Chocolate, at his downtown Santa Barbara tasting room. Inspired by traditional chocolate making techniques, Twenty-Four Blackbirds sources high quality raw, unroasted cocoa beans from single-origin estates and co-ops, then handcrafts the chocolates with no additives. Valentine or no Valentine, when you pair these deeply nuanced artisan chocolates with a glass of Margerum’s 12-Year Amaro, you’ve got yourself the perfect nightcap. Cin Cin! Find the Amaro and Twenty-Four Blackbirds Chocolate at the Margerum Wine Company tasting room, 19 east Mason Street in the Funk Zone. Or online: www.margerumwines.com
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