How to Host a Chocolate & Wine Pairing Party | Lindt Chocolate + J. Lohr Wines

I have had a little love affair with Lindt Chocolate for quite some time. I can't tell you when it first began, but I can tell you that it probably started the first time I bit into one of their Lindor Truffles. If you haven't ever had one, run, don't walk to any place that sells them and remedy that problem immediately.

The truffles aren't the only things I've come to cherish from Lindt. I started buying their Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa bars for baking. Except, most of the "baking chocolate supply" never actually made it into baked goods, and the majority made it straight into my belly as an after dinner treat. It's hard to resist.

So, you can imagine that when the opportunity was presented to me to work with Lindt, it was with great enthusiasm that I accepted. But guess what? They wanted to know if I would host a wine pairing party to showcase their yummy Lindt Excellence bars and their buddies J. Lohr Wines.  And, of course, I've traded wine for prenatal vitamins these days, so -- while the idea sounded fabulous -- I needed some assistance.

Luckily, I have amazing friends who are willing to sacrifice a few precious hours to help me with the task I couldn't fully undertake myself in my current state. I mean, I know it's a lot to ask for them to drop everything and come over to eat chocolate and sip wine, but they still found the time and were even pretty nice about it. It's all about sacrifices. ;)

So, I put together a fairly simple little ladies night with a few fun touches here and there.

It's so easy to host a pairing party of your own! Here are some tips on how to set up a great pairing event:

1. Invite awesome people. The company really makes a difference! Try to invite folks who are willing to try new flavors and who, of course, enjoy chocolate and wine. {And reevaluate friendships with anyone who doesn't. Kidding. Sort of.} I used Paperless Post free online invites to let everyone know about the party.

They're the cutest!

2. Create a menu. The best thing about hosting a chocolate & wine pairing party is that you've already got the stars of the menu settled. But you want to make sure to give your guests something else to nibble on so they're not on a drunken sugar high at the end of the night. Simple, complementary bites like cheese, crackers, bread and a few dips or spreads can easily do the trick to round out your menu.

Here's what I came up with:

Mini Cheese Board

featuring New Zealander, Creamy Havarti & Blue Cheese

Crackers with Spread Trio

Kalamata Olive Tapenade, Caramelized Onion Spread

Ricotta-Pesto Cheese Spread
Served with Assorted Crackers & Almonds

Broccoli & Ham Phyllo Cups

Peach, Feta & Arugula Puff Pastry Bites

3. Decorate & set the scene! For decor, I picked up a few things at Michael's -- kraft paper gift bags, chalkboard tags & name clips, decorative paper napkins, an ampersand -- and also used a lot of things I already had a home. {Like old wine corks & candles and even my chenille throw from college to double as a tablecloth. Be resourceful!} I set the table with appetizer plates, Riedel glasses and Pairing Party placemats and I was pretty pleased with the result! {Now, to get myself a real dining room table that seats more than 4 at a time...} I also had relaxing jazzy and big band era tunes playing in the background to give some atmosphere.

4. Make it fun. Sometimes fine products like good chocolate and wine have the tendency to make people get all snobby and use big words and fancy terminology, but it doesn't have to be that way! {Unless you want it to be.} Pairing parties are about sending your palate on a tasting adventure and discovering flavors you enjoy and foods that elevate them to a new level. I loved that the Lindt tasting cards told us exactly how to experience the chocolate, but that we made it fun and casual! Lots of laughs and lots of chatter.

5. Sip & Savor.  There's actually a method and a proper way to experience a pairing to get the maximum flavor experience, believe it or not {if you can keep yourself from devouring all the chocolate immediately}. Here's how it's done:

Click on the image to enlarge.

Following the suggested order {progressing from whites to reds} is the ideal way to move through your pairing. Provide water and bread or unsalted crackers for guests to cleanse their palates between tastings.

Side Note: The crowd favorite was the Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt chocolate paired J. Lohr Estates Falcon's Perch Pinot Noir. Everyone went nuts over the Lindt Excellence Pineapple chocolates as well... so good! I'm a big fan of the Intense Orange, but not everyone is into orange chocolate. More for me!

I was definitely bummed that the baby bump restricted me from fully participating. {Though it did not stop me from deeply inhaling the aroma of each wine. Yum.} But luckily, just because I couldn't indulge in the wine portion of the party didn't mean that had to abstain from the fun. Chocolate happens to pair perfectly with tea and coffee, too! No one should ever have to sit out from a party that revolves around chocolate -- especially not a pregnant gal. If you're more a tea drinker than a wine lover, or if you're taking a break from alcoholic beverages, you can try out these tea pairing suggestions!

I had so much fun with this tasting and I think my guests did, too! Everyone left with a little Lindt chocolate goody bag and a big smile on their face.

And now I'm about to put a big smile on your face, too: Lindt Chocolate wants to give you the chance to host your own tasting... or indulge in some chocolates all by yourself! They're giving away this amazing gift box of assorted Excellence chocolates to one very lucky reader, and all you have to do is enter below using the Rafflecopter widget provided. Woohoo! I'll be randomly selecting a winner on Monday, September 1!

Disclosure: This post & party was sponsored by Lindt Chocolate. I was compensated for this post and received chocolate, wine and wine glasses for the party. As always, all opinions seen here are my own!
a Rafflecopter giveaway