Iced Foch is a desert wine made by D’Angelo Vineyards located in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada. If you have had Ice Wine or Late Harvest Wine well, this is to me an in-between. The interesting thing with this one is it is made with the Foch grape. It sells for $15.00 Canadian for a 375 ml bottle. I remember the first time I saw it at the winery and thought, ‘15 bucks you can’t really go wrong here,’ and am I glad I did. I loved it so much I went back the next week to buy a case of it.Ice Wine (I’ll keep it simple) is when they pick the grape in winter when it has been below freezing for a few days and they process it frozen to make Ice Wine. If it thaws out and does not meet the standards for Ice Wine then they call it Late Harvest. So, it is high in sugar and is a fantastic desert wine. Some Ice Wines will fetch $80 or a little more for a 375 ml bottle. You can fine some descent ones around $40 – 50 a bottle. Late Harvest is usually a lot less expensive.
Back to this Iced Foch. This is like having one big sugar coated grape your mouth. The Foch
grape flavor is wonderful and the best part it goes perfectly with dark chocolate. So, tonight I am pairing this desert wine up with some dark chocolate. Here are the chocolates ready to be tasted: Godiva 72%; Godiva 85%; Ghirardelli 60%; Ghirardelli 86%; Lindt & Sprungli 85%. Personally, I have always believed Godiva to be overrated and tonight you will see why.I am planning to have the 60% first then, the 72, 85, 85, and then the 86% and each little piece will be tested with a sip of the Iced Foch. Now, I have always recommended that you do not have more than one glass of Ice Wine and an Ice Wine glass should hold about an ounce or an ounce and a half. The sugar content is just too high. But, tonight I’ll have to do a few and good thing I am not a diabetic.
After the first go around, the 60% I thought was a little weak in strength for the Iced Foch. The 72% was better but, the 80% ones were terrific. Now, I am going to battle it out with the Godiva 85%; Ghirardelli 86%; Lindt & Sprungli 85%.
After round two with the 80 percentile groupings the Godiva is kicked out of this grouping. Why? Too sweet compared to the other two. An 85% cocao should not have a sugar profile that high. Now, it is a big battle between the Lindt and Ghirardelli chocolate.
Ok, I give up it is a tie, I like both a lot. I went back and forth between the two chocolates, over and over again, (without the Iced Foch) I like both. Then, I went back and forth between the two chocolates with the Iced Foch (someone has to do this research it might as well be me) I still like both with the Iced Foch.
Now, for why I think Godiva is overrated. The ingredient of sugar is listed second on the list of ingredients. That is fine for cheap milk chocolate but, I personally think it should be the third or fourth ingredient.
Lindt’s 85% Cocoa ingredients are listed: “Chocolate, Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Butter, Sugar….”
Ghirardelli’s 86% Cacao ingredients are listed: “Unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, sugar…”
Godiva’s 85% Cacao ingredients are listed: “Chocolate, Sugar…”
With the cocoa butter being listed before the sugar is probably the reason I think the other two have a creamier and fuller cocoa flavor than the Godiva sugar bar.
Pair up some dark chocolates and Iced Foch or Vidal Ice Wine yourself and enjoy. But, be careful – one or two glasses only or you will hate the world the next morning.
D’Angelo Vineyards phone number 519-736-7959
Enjoyed this article. I feel similarly about Godiva, but unlike your conclusion I found a very distinct preference for the Lindt Excellence 85% over the Ghirardelli -- pointedly so. 70% chocolate is just too sweet/sugar/carb-laden, and 90% is simply overkill and not enjoyable -- so it really boils down to the "85% tier." The Lindt absolutely wipes the floor with the Ghirardelli, to my taste buds -- anyone looking for "the darkest % chocolate that is still tasty and enjoyable to eat instead of being a chore, Lindt 85% is the way to roll!
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