Schell-Venezuela Espelette Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate – Venezuela Espelette

70% Cocoa Content

The finest single-origin cocoa from an assemblage of Trinitarios, Criollos, and Espelette chili from the French Pyrenees create a spirited combination.

Perfect with robust red wines, such as Ribera Del Duero, Cabernet, Grenache, Lemberger, Syrah, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, and especially with Beerenauslese from Riesling, Traminer, and Ruländer.

The aromatic cocoa for this exclusive dark chocolate – Venezuela Espelette chocolate – originates from Venezuela. Trinitario and Criollo beans were used for this. The slight spiciness in the chocolate comes from the incorporated Espelette chili.

Originally, only Criollo cocoa was cultivated in Venezuela, primarily on the north coast. However, about 200 years ago, Trinitario and Forastero cultivation also began, leading to cross-breeding with the Criollo trees. Genetic evidence has confirmed that Criollo and its fine flavor often still predominate. Many believe that cocoa originated in the mountains of Venezuela. Specifically, the area around Lake Maracaibo in the west of the country could be predestined for this. In this case, we are talking about Criollo. The aforementioned Forastero was cultivated in the east of the country, on the coast and in the river delta. The mixing of Criollo from the north and Forastero from the east gave rise to Trinitario. Consequently, it is assumed that this originated in Venezuela before coming to Trinidad. However, this cannot be proven, only that Venezuela was one of the first countries to export cocoa. Due to the country's geographical location, it has often been protected from natural disasters, allowing the cocoa plants to develop undisturbed. In some areas, genetically pure cocoa trees are still possible as a result. Furthermore, Venezuela also benefits from over 400 years of experience in handling the trees, beans, fermentation, and further processing.

The subtly noticeable spiciness, which supports but does not dominate the chocolate, is Piment d’Espelette. This chili variety grows in Espelette, France, in the Basque Country. As chili does not naturally occur in France, it was imported from Mexico by a fellow traveler of Christopher Columbus. Initially, attempts were made to cultivate the plant in the Nive Valley, after which it made its way to Espelette, where it has been cultivated since 1650. Here it was used not only for medicinal but also for culinary purposes. When chocolate gained popularity in Europe in the 17th century, and likely also due to the knowledge of how cocoa was consumed in its country of origin, some chocolatiers at the time stirred Piment d’Espelette into chocolate. Nowadays, the spice is used in many regional dishes and enjoys ever-increasing popularity.

Thanks to its subtle character, this chocolate pairs well with robust red wines such as Tempranillo, Riberas or Riojas, Cabernet, Malbec, and Lemberger. With white wines like Syrah, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, Traminer and Ruländer, but also sweet wines like Zweigelt or Beerenauslese.

Ingredients

• Fine dark chocolate (cocoa 70% minimum, cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, Piment d'Espelette 0.4%, emulsifier: soy lecithin, vanilla extract).
• May contain traces of milk and nuts.