Christmas Chocolate with Mulled Wine by Tiroler Edle, spiced
Christmas Chocolate with Mulled Wine by Tiroler Edle is a dark bar with 60 percent cocoa over a filling of spiced red wine and fresh cream. Cinnamon, clove, as well as dried orange and lemon bring the tone of the Christmas market, and because it contains real wine, it is alcoholic.
Christmas Chocolate with Mulled Wine is the darkest of the Christmas varieties from Tiroler Edle: fifty grams of fine dark chocolate from the confectionery in Landeck over a ganache of spiced red wine, cream, and vanilla. The golden wrapper shows from afar what it's all about.
Tart snap, warmth and spice underneath
The shell snaps dark and dry, revealing a ganache that immediately smells of clove and cinnamon. On the cross-section, the dark filling lies as a wide band under a narrow top layer.
At first, the tart base takes center stage, then clove and cinnamon take over, with the fruit acidity of the red wine pulling through underneath. The cream holds everything together and prevents the spices from becoming too sharp.
What remains is a warmth familiar from a cup at a market stall, just without the cold fingers. One piece is usually enough for this, so densely packed are the spices.
What mulled wine is made of
Mulled wine is a classic staple: red wine, sugar, and a few spices, kept warm and never boiled. In Austria, it is as natural a part of Advent as the hut where it is served.
Cinnamon provides the sweet base warmth, clove sets a sharp, almost medicinal counterpoint, and dried orange and lemon provide freshness, without which the whole thing quickly becomes heavy. If the temperature rises too high, these very oils are the first to evaporate.
For the filling, Tiroler Edle therefore infuses the wine cold and lets it steep until it has absorbed the spice. The longer it sits, the rounder the flavor becomes, and the less the clove stands out.
Why wine in a ganache takes effort
A ganache is basically an emulsion where fat and water must stay together.
Wine brings both with it, water and alcohol, and both can drive the mixture apart if the temperature and order of operations are not correct. Therefore, the cream is stirred into the base first, and the wine is only incorporated at the end, once everything is already glossy. If stirred when too warm, the mixture separates again; when too cold, it won't take the wine at all.
The high cocoa content in the shell also has a reason: it keeps the sweet warmth of the filling in check. It is made in the Landeck workshop of Tiroler Edle, using cream from local Tyrolean Grey cattle.
For Advent, for tea, after a walk
At room temperature, the spices stand out most clearly; when chilled, the tartness of the shell remains the dominant note. It pairs well with black tea with lemon, even better with a glass of punch, and warms from within after a long winter walk. It also finds its place next to a piece of gingerbread.
In an Advent calendar or on a gift plate, it is a piece of the market for your home. The alcohol from the wine is retained, so the bar belongs on the adults' table.
Also festive is the Christmas Chocolate with Baked Apple; alongside it, you will find more ideas for Christmas and the entire assortment from Tiroler Edle.
