Halleluiah! I found another “grown-up” kind of natural peanut free, tree nut free, Vegan (dairy and egg free) non-GMO chocolate for Mommy! I love my Divvies Benjamint Crunch Bars to the point of hiding of them from my family, but sometimes I want to eat a darker chocolate that would pair up nicely with a nice glass of Cabernet or Merlot. For the sake of culinary science (wink, wink), I tested out a nice California Cabernet Sauvignon with several of the Amore di Mona Couveture Chocolates to see if wine and these chocolates make for a little slice of grown up relaxing allergen free heaven. The results: a divine moment was created! I really enjoyed the Caramela varieties on their own, but they held up wonderfully against deep rich red wines.
I sampled the Amore di Mona…
- Chocolate bar–a rich, deep chocolate bar
- Chocolate with crunchy chocolate beans
- Caramela-simple chocolate coated caramel
- Caramela with cherries-need I say more?
- Caramlea with cranberries-my favorite with a light bite of sour
I also emailed Amore di Mona and asked about wine suggestions. To my delight, I promptly received an email from Chef Meagan Jeanette who shared, “our chocolate is best with a full-bodied red wine: Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir are some favorites. Alternatively, California Zindfadels are also often paired with dark chocolates. For those favoring fortified/dessert wines, I personally recommend Banyuls, from Southern France, which has its own chocolatey character”. The Caramela varieties were very interesting and offered pops of intesting tastes. My favorite was the Caramela with cranberries! Although the simple Caramela was absolutely delightful with Peet’s Gaia Organic Blend Coffee. Amore di Mona uses cocoa butter imported from Belgian and Holland and it’s obvious that quality and meeting the needs of those on special diets is important and their main goal.
This is the Caramela with cranberries (my favorite)
Note: Amore di Mona did not provide me with my sample box, I ordered them online and they only found out recently that I had planned on writing a blog about them when I asked about their suggestions for wine. My goal to share little “treasures” that I find along the way that you might enjoy too…or not.
I’m looking forward to enjoying an evening by the fire pit with some chocolate, some wine and good friends. Life is so complicated these days that I craze simple and Amore di Mona hit the spot.
Do you have a favorite chocolate that is nut free and possibly dairy free? Please share below. I’m always up to trying out chocolate and wine!
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
I am sooooo jealous of you right now! 🙂 These sound completely delish and I am glad that I am not the only mom that hides chocolate away.
I know in my heart of hearts that you will save some and let me enjoy it with you in the coming months.
Nutrimom,
I will promise to buy some more when we see each other at the next conference. But…you must promise to bring the wine!
I love Amore! Their chocolate bar is my favorite – so cocoa buttery and not too sweet!
Alisa, That is what makes it perfect…not too sweet, thus allowing for pairings with food and drink.
Bless you! This is a worthy posting for sure. I can hardly wait to try them!!! You don’t happen to have a small taste of each I could taste test before I buy? Just checking. They all sound so good. But maybe I could weed out my least favorite. 😉
Grace, I do have a few tastes left at mi casa!
YUM these look so good! I was big on the Trader Joe’s Powerberries before they were cc, so the cranberry chocolate one looks like a good replacement. 🙂
Oh these are good! I never tried Trader Joe’s Powerberries before. Hope you have a great week.