Season 2, Episode 5: Chocolate and Wine: A Sense of People and Place

Release Date: January 23, 2026

Today’s guest is Estelle Tracy, the founder and owner of 37 Chocolates, a business that provides chocolate tastings and chocolate education. Our interview with Estelle focuses on a modern approach to chocolate and wine pairings that. We’re covering Estelle’s background, her ability to connect with audiences, her interest in wine and chocolate pairings, and providing chocolate examples for wine pairings. This take on wine and chocolate is truly fascinating and has potential to elevate your own wine brand. We hope that you will tune into our second episode that features a wine and chocolate pairing with Estelle. If you’re interested in trying this approach in your winery, Estelle’s information is in our Show Notes and we encourage you to check out her work!

Links for things mentioned in this episode:

• Estelle’s position is an action item: she provides chocolate education and tastings. Her business, 37 Chocolates, is the vehicle through which interested parties can connect with her services.
  • FREE PDF through 37 Chocolates: Beginner’s Guide to Wine and Chocolate Pairing
  • The Chocolate Bundle for Wine Pairings (for purchase at 37 Chocolates) à We will be tasting 3 of the chocolates from this bundle with wine in our next podcast episode!
  • The “Adventurous Palate” Chocolate Bundle for Wine Pairings (for purchase at 37 Chocolates)
• The Food Survivor Guide for French People in the US
• Chocolate Tastings: how do these match wine tastings? What can people learn from Estelle’s chocolate tastings?
  • The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
  • Estelle’s goal is take people on a journey through a chocolate tasting. “Every bite is there to trigger a certain reaction.”
  • She often starts with white chocolate to “ruffle people’s feathers” a bit as it fuels conversation.
  • Does not use the same language or discussional points with clients as she does with colleagues.
  • She wants people to feel confident during their tasting and enjoy the overall experience.
  • She noted that it is her job to find chocolates that have flavors that are strong enough that anyone can detect them and end up feeling good about their sensory experience.
    • Make sure you know thy audience: who is this tasting for? Where are people in the audience from?
    • This information helps her better select chocolates.
• Pairing Wine and Chocolate
  • There is a mystique around wine and chocolate pairings.
  • Port and chocolate are classic pairings.
  • Tried various chocolates from specific sources against different wines until they can hone in on a pairing that comes across as “interesting” and appealing.
• The Chocolates Curated by Estelle
  • How is chocolate made:
    • Made from the seed (cacao bean) of a fruit (cacao pod) that hangs on a tree (Theobroma cacao). It is grown in tropical countries, within 20° north and south of the Equator.
    • Chocolate is made from ground seed. Prior to grinding, the cacao bean is fermented for one week (spontaneously) and dried (for one week) in the country of origin. The fermentation progresses from alcohol into acetic acid. From the end of fermentation, the product is dried for an additional week. The genetics of the cacao plant and fermentation process has influence on the final flavor of the chocolate.
    • Cacao beans are traded on the commodity market (similar to coffee or sugar).
    • About 25 years ago, the craft/single-source chocolate market was developed in the U.S.
    • The chocolate factory that receives the beans will usually sort the cacao beans and roast the beans. Roasting has a huge influence on the taste and flavor of the chocolate. In comparison to coffee, the chocolate roasting process is done at a much lower temperature.
    • Following roasting, the product is ground and blended:
      • Cacao + sugar = dark chocolate.
      • Cacao + sugar + milk = milk chocolate.
  • Chocolate Alchemy: if you are interested in sourcing raw materials.
  • Similar to smaller or craft wineries, craft chocolatiers do not have the same economy of scale for the chocolate that they make. Futhermore, the consistency of how a chocolate tastes can vary from year to year. This is often reflected into the price of the chocolate.
  • 1 cacao pod = ~40 seeds. It takes 1 pod to make a 70% dark chocolate. Each tree can carry ~40 pods per year. It typically takes 5 years for a tree to turn into a fruit-bearing tree.