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Crave Wine Co. is going all out with events this December, including themed tastings, wine and food pairings with Chef David Jamrock, live music, paint parties, a Farmhouse Cafe feast with Chef Becky Herbert, a wreath workshop, and an Ugly Sweater Night.
One of the more interesting evenings, on Dec. 10, will be the first-ever wine-and-chocolate pairing at Crave, featuring five wines carefully matched to a variety of DeBrito chocolates, including their absolutely stellar California Gold Rush Bar.
“We’ve been asked to do it for so long,” co-owner Mike Kohne said, “I don’t know why we haven’t done it before. We see DeBritos all the time at the Farmers Market, and I have just never asked them to do it with us.”
A Hollister landmark, DeBrito’s is better known for its massive candy apples, which have become a mainstay of local fundraising efforts by organizations throughout the county. Kohne said he sampled “a bunch” of the company’s individual chocolates to develop ideas for the pairings.
“We wanted to provide a broad array,” he said. “We had an idea of what would work, then looked for wines that either have complementary flavors or are so divergent that it’s almost like you’re deconstructing something when you talk about it.”
While chocolate and wine are a very popular combination, Kohne said that not all wines and chocolates mix well together.
“You tend to find things in the red varietals,” he said, “because, like in some of those wines, cocoa has tannins. You find that sort of bitterness that you see in red wines aged on the skins. So that’s what we’re looking for.”
The Pairings
Pink Pica Sandía Caramel with 2024 Cline Family Cellars Dry Rosé of Mourvèdre – The caramel is enrobed in pink chocolate infused with a very bright watermelon flavor and topped with a chili-lime spice that provides a great contrast. The Rosé of Mourvèdre had a bit of the same watermelon tones, with some citrus and strawberry as well. The two played off each other nicely: while flavorful, the wine was not overly rich and had a great aroma that enhanced that of the caramel’s coating. This was my favorite of the five pairings, just for the sprightliness of the flavors and the way the wine’s acid contrasted with the chocolate’s creaminess.
White Chocolate Apricot and Sandeman Apitiv Reserve White Porto – Made with grapes from the Douro Valley in Portugal, the wine is fortified during aging, which gives it a syrupy character while remaining bright and crisp. The orchard-fruit notes blended nicely with the understated milkiness of the white chocolate, adding a few accents and a bit of color. “You want to complement the apricot flavors,” Kohne said, “and with white chocolate, you’re not getting the true chocolate bitterness. You’re still getting chocolate and the sweetness, but with the wine, you’re also getting complementary flavors of apricot and nectarines.”
Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel with Dow’s Fine Tawny Porto – Tasting just the chocolate before trying the port, the astringent sharpness of the tannins was readily apparent—it might be one of the reasons curated dark chocolate became so popular with foodie hipsters decades ago. Kohne described Dow’s as a “perennial top 100 producer,” and, as a relatively young port, it had a bluntness that erased the chocolate’s bitterness while also benefiting from the caramel’s dark, almost-burnt sweet character.
Almond Toffee with Taylor Fladgate 10-Year Tawny Port – Kohne chose this older port, one of Crave’s best sellers, to match the milk chocolate base of this classic toffee. “You’re going to start to see the more delicate, more perfumed nature of the wine,” Kohne said, “and this is going to allow the milk chocolate to express itself. You get more of that ethereal caramelly character coming through from the toffee, along with an almond flavor.” This was as perfect a match as could be, with the smokiness of the almonds riding above the rich fruit of the port.
The California Gold Rush Bar with Trenza 2017 Monastrell – Produced by winemakers David and Jonas Tofterup, both born in Denmark, at their winery in the Alicante/Murcia region of Spain, this is a blend of Monastrell (77%), cabernet sauvignon (15%) and garnacha tintorera (8%). The bar is also a blend, mixing diced dried apricots and almonds with caramel then coating it with milk chocolate. Both are amazing on their own, but together they elevate the game. “Again, we are seeing how well the port does with a milk chocolate,” Kohne said. “It’s aged in new white oak, which gives it a little bit of vanilla, and it has a real, rich fruit-forward nature, very plum-like. It’s smooth and clean and pairs very well with the apricot and almonds.”
Holiday Wine recommendations
For those looking for a perfect wine to bring to holiday celebrations, Kohne selected three that are currently in stock and highly rated: a bubbly, a white and a red:
2019 Roederer Estate L’Ermitage Brut – Kohne describes this wine as a product of “classic champagne wine making” that over-delivers. A blend of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir, this sparkling wine earned 100 points from Wine Enthusiast, a historic first for an American winery. Aged in oak for four years, giving it, Kohne said, “beautiful texture and a great flavor development, with really good richness and super tiny bubbles.”
2021 Calera Mt. Harlan Chardonnay – “This one is a logical choice,” Kohne said. Harvested from vines planted in 1984. “It has a full malolactic fermentation,” he said, “and a rich creamy style but you also get that high elevation mountain fruit. It’s really tense, bright and rich, but with a softness on the palette and just enough acidity.”
2021 Smith Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon – A blend of 81.9% cabernet sauvignon, 17.7% cabernet Franc and .4% petit verdot, this wine was an “Editor’s Choice” for Wine Enthusiast, scoring 97 points. “It’s just a pure delight to drink,” Kohne said, “It’s got waves and waves of fruit, but then, it’s also not hyper ripe. You can drink it now, or you can set it down, if you like well-aged cabernets. It’s young, yet it drinks like it’s already been in the bottle for 10 years.”
I would add the Trenza Monastrell, which turns the classic GSM formulation on its head, with a focus on mourvèdre instead of grenache and swaps in cabernet, with its tannins, for the syrah with its peppery qualities. It was beautifully smooth, delightfully fruity, and a joy to drink. Turkey, ham, or pot roast, whatever you are cooking up for your holiday dinner, this wine is going to go well with it.
If you read this in time to make the Dec. 7 Pinot tasting, it will showcase a wealth of versatile wines that would also go nicely with a holiday meal or just a relaxed evening by the fire.
“What makes it fun,” Kohne said, “is that there is such a broad array of flavor profiles. You can go from super light, perfumed, delicate and fruity to wines that have so much more going on with their darker tones.”
Kohne said he had initially planned the tasting for around Thanksgiving, but he was looking forward to pouring five of the finest pinots that Crave carries in one sitting.
We’ll talk about where the grapes originate,” he said,” and what people are doing with them, most importantly, here in California. But there’s something to love about all of the wines that we’ll be showing.”
December events at Crave Wine Co.
- Dec. 7 Sunday Fun-Day Pinot Tasting with:
– Scribe 2024 Pinot Noir, Nouveau,
– Carneros; Wairau River 2022 Pinot Noir,
– Marlborough; Patz & Hall 2020 Pinot Noir,
– Sonoma Coast; Pierre Vincent Girardin
– 2022 Volnay, Burgundy; Belle Glos
– 2022 Pinot Noir, Clark-Telephone, Santa Maria Valley - Dec. 9: Holiday Wreath Workshop with Frannie Flower’z
- Dec. 10: Chocolate & Wine Pairing with four Debrito Chocolates and four wines
- Dec. 12: Vinyl & Wine – Fri-Yay Fun with DJ Kyle of Coolship Radio and Divine Bakery
- Dec. 13: Live Music Saturday – R&R Music (Rebecca Barnes and Ronnie Butron)
- Dec. 13: Yuletide Holiday Dinner Party at Farmhouse Cafe – four-course meal prepared by Chef Becky Herbert paired with wines curated by Crave
- Dec. 16: Paint & Sip with Hollister Engraving (sold out)
- Dec. 18: Thirsty Thursday – Twice Tyger Wine Tasting
- Dec. 19 Vinyl & Wine – Fri-Yay Fun with DJ Kyle of Coolship Radio with Cart & Cutie
- Dec. 20: Make the Season Bright – with vocalist Sarah Smith
- Dec. 21: Sunday Fun-Day: “Top Wines of 2025” Holiday Wine & Food Pairing with six wines and small bites from Chef David Jamrock
- Dec. 23: Ugly Sweater Night at Crave
- Dec. 27: “Champagne Wishes & New Year Dreams” – Six sparkling wines paired with small bites from Chef David Jamrock
- Dec. 28: Sunday Fun-Day with R&R Music (Rebecca Barnes and Ronnie Butron)
- Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve celebration
Information on the events and tickets (when required) are available at Crave’s website.
Crave Wine Bar & Shop
616 San Benito Street, Hollister
(831) 313-1358
Email: info@cravewineco.com
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
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