Victoire Finaz does not wait for Easter to taste chocolate at will. In his shop, located in the 17e arrondissement in Paris, she creates made-to-measure tablets and teaches how to taste chocolate in the same way as a great wine. And according to the specialist, one of the best chocolates in the world is found in Montreal.
Looking at the robe, smelling the bouquet, then tasting, every wine lover is familiar with the tasting routine. Victoire Finaz performs the same steps when enjoying chocolate.
“Grapes have tannins, like cocoa,” she explains. The two products have many similarities, especially when it comes to fruity and woody notes. There is also alcoholic fermentation in the production of both. It builds bridges. »
As with the color of wine, the color of chocolate gives clues to the method of production. “If the tablet is very black, I can imagine that the cocoa beans were burned during roasting”, cites the specialist as an example.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Victoire Finaz’s passion: chocolate expertise, from creation to tasting.
The shine of the chocolate is another element to observe. This element indicates that the temperatures were respected during crystallization and molding.
All chocolatiers knew these production secrets and their effects on tasting. However, Victoire Finaz realized that, unlike wine, there was little written on how to appreciate chocolate. She made it her vocation.
Cocoa passion
Victoire Finaz admits it candidly: she has been addicted to chocolate since her early childhood. Because the bean did not fall far from the cocoa tree: the expert was born into a family of chocolate makers in Lyon. Although she did not know the family store run by her grandfather, which was closed before she was born, her father introduced her to quality chocolates.
Despite her love of “brown gold”, as she calls it, she did not study pastry, but psychology. Her thesis on the tasting and sensory evaluation of chocolate however led her to interview the best chocolatiers and pastry chefs in France as well as to visit cocoa-producing countries. She wanted to know everything about the production chain, from the cocoa tree to the tablet.
PHOTO LYNE BRUSEGAN, PROVIDED BY VICTOIRE FINAZ
Victoire Finaz describes herself as a “chocolate”.
The stages of fermentation and drying greatly influence the final taste. To describe chocolate, you need to know these details.
Victory Finaz
Back in Paris, the specialist created her profession. She swapped her psychology degree for that of shockologist. His work: expertise in chocolate, from creation to tasting.
In her boutique called Chocologue Paris, she offers custom-made bars, in partnership with a chocolate maker, according to her inspirations and the requests of her customers. “Each chocolate tells a personal story,” she adds. There is a box that tells of my trip to Morocco, another that is inspired by an ingredient that I discovered with a chef. »
She also organizes workshops on tasting techniques and wine is never far away. His favorite chord? Syrah and chocolate.
“The red wines of the Rhône, in particular those composed mainly of Syrah, go very well with chocolate, judge Mme Finaz. Syrah is a peppery, flowery grape variety. »
It also favors pairings with natural sweet wines, such as banyuls or port, whose sweet and fruity taste creates a balance with the tannins of chocolate. To leave the known paths, the chocologist also offers tastings with spirits. Spicy notes, like cinnamon and tonka bean, go well with cognac, she says. While the vanilla flavored squares go better with whisky.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The Montreal chocolate factory Qantu makes one of the best chocolates in the world, according to Victoire Finaz.
But good chocolate does not always need to be accompanied. And according to the expert, one of the best chocolates in the world is produced by the Montreal chocolate factory Qantu. She admires the work of her craftsmen Elfi Maldonado and Maxime Simard. “Their 70% from Peru tablet is the best,” she says.
Since she discovered this chocolate in Paris, at the Galeries Lafayette, she has tasted it without moderation.
Some reading
Is chocolate a guilty pleasure? Not at all, explains Victoire Finaz in her most recent book co-written with doctor-nutritionist Hafid Halhol and published last year. The chocologist reveals the health benefits of sugar squares and explains the secrets of good chocolate. The book also contains 50 recipes, from breakfast to dessert, designed by 11 chefs to prepare this delicacy in many ways.
Chocolate: from pleasure to health
Victory Finaz and Dr Hafid Halhol
Courrier editions of the book
192 pages