Norton + Chocolate = Heaven

Norton, Missouri’s state grape, offers deep, dark, jammy flavors — a perfect foil for chocolate to add a bit of acid and savory nuance in the super-easy ganache I pour on top of an ice cream layer cake. The Norton I use is from Chaumette Vineyards and Winery, which is located in the Ste. Genevieve region of Missouri. With a focus on French-style wines made with regional hybrids, Chaumette is an award-winning estate winery that is well-worth a visit for its incredible on-site restaurant and beautiful views.

Norton (pronounced nore-tuhn) is an American grape, Vitis aestivalis, which was found in 1835 near Richmond, Virginia. Sometimes called Cynthiana, it is the premium red wine grape in Missouri.

Norton makes a dry red wine that is full in body with some fruity overtones. The clusters are small to medium-sized with small blue-black berries. Norton is very hardy and extremely vigorous and often must be trained to a divided canopy training system. It is one of the most disease resistant grape varieties, with some resistance even to black rot. Norton is processed as a red wine and is fermented on the skins. The pigment from the skins is what gives this red wine its dark color.

• Norton accounts for 17.7% of all grapes grown in Missouri

• Bold, complex flavors

• Full-bodied, dry red

• Frequently aged in oak

• Rich combination of spice, vanilla and chocolate notes

• Layered fruit flavors of berries, ripe cherries and currants