Breakthrough Vine to Bar ‘winemakers’ chocolate’ gains global release
pic: Vine to Bar
A shared passion for wine, premium confectionery and sustainability has been credited with the creation of Vine to Bar, a groundbreaking dark chocolate featuring superfood ingredient Wellvine Chardonnay Marc, writes Neill Barston.
As creators behind the innovative series, which sources chocolate from Barry Callebaut, explained, the new product offers added nutritional value that can benefit gut and heart health, while delivering an indulgent experience.
According to its development team Chardonnay Marc, which is upcycled from the spent grapes of the winemaking process, tempers the bitter notes in rich dark chocolate.
Consequently, Vine to Bar’s 65% dark bars offerings include bars with individually wrapped tasting squares, and chocolate- covered almonds. It is non-GMO, and is available in four flavours including Chardonnay smoked salt and cocoa nibs, dark chocolate with tart cherry and cocoa nibs, dark chocolate with almonds and Himalayan pink salt, and a standard dark chocolate variety.
Renowned chocolatier Ralph Jerome, former head of global innovation at Mars, Inc. is chief innovation officer at Vine to Bar, with the chocolate series containing 15% Chardonnay Marc by weight.
It is reportedly formulated using a proprietary process to preserve the natural plant-based bioactives, each serving of Vine to Bar chocolates contains over 200mg of powerful flavanols. Vine to Bar products contain no alcohol.
“We call Vine to Bar the ‘winemaker’s chocolate’ to acknowledge the path this new chocolate has taken to arrive,” said Jerome. “It was born from the vision of winemakers, who spent over a decade working to capture the vibrancy of pressed wine grapes in an ingredient that will one day enhance lots of different products. It’s only fitting that our first products to launch share ancient history – wine and chocolate.”
Jerome noted that, as two of the most celebrated products of fermentation, wine and chocolate have always been a natural pairing. Vine to Bar elevates the experience of dark chocolate and marries well with wines ranging from whites to rosés to more traditional red pairings.
As he added, Chardonnay Marc brings a natural sweetness to Vine to Bar products that softens the dark chocolate’s bitter edge. The result is premium dark chocolate with a flavour that is balanced by the natural, wine grape-derived fruitiness. Vine to Bar chocolates contain 100% pure cocoa butter, only natural flavors and ingredients, and no palm oil, no soy, and no GMOs.
