Cockburn Smithes & Co. the UK’s number one port house, and Green & Black’s, the luxury organic chocolate brand, are combining talents to update the post-dinner experience and bring decadent tasting events to Sainsbury’s and Tesco shoppers this Christmas.
Shoppers will be able to sample the delectable combination of chocolate and port in 200 Sainsbury’s and Tesco stores nationwide on November 20th and December 5th, receiving tasting notes and advice on the optimum way to combine the products including serving temperatures. Participating stores will be listed on www.greenandblacks.com from November.
Cockburn's 1997 Late Bottled Vintage Port and award-winning Green & Black's Organic Cherry Chocolate will be sampled in Sainsbury's stores, whilst visitors to the sampling stands in Tesco will be served the Cherry bar with Cockburn's Special Reserve Port.
Qualitative research by Fathom Research in Feb ’04 (for Cockburn’s) has identified chocolate consumption with port as an emerging trend in the UK. According to Nick Marshall, Brand Manager at Cockburn’s “This trend follows a similar pattern in the US where port with chocolate has become increasingly popular in the on-trade. It is considered a sophisticated alternative to the traditional cheese pairing.”
Port works especially well with ‘real’ dark chocolate which has a high percentage of cocoa solids as it can help reduce some of the bitterness. Conversely, chocolate flavours can add an extra layer of silkiness to port.
Micah Carr Hill, ex-Oddbins employee and now new product development manager at Green & Black’s, explains why Cockburn’s and Green & Black’s work particularly well together: “Cockburn’s has a drier house style which produces a more luxurious and refined port without being too sweet to pair with chocolate. The Green & Black’s Cherry bar is made from our trademark intense, dark chocolate and whole sour cherries which help bring out some of the latent chocolate and berry fruit aromas of the wine.
