Sonoma’s chocolate shops gear-up for Valentine’s Day

For Sonoma’s three main chocolate shops, the week leading up to Valentine’s Day is hectic and full of fudge.

Each of the chocolate makers run a family business, which makes it easy to call in extra help around the three major chocolate holidays: Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day.

On Wednesday,chocolatier Max Pond arrived early to fire up the tempering machine and begin melting chocolate for the day. He’s been putting in extra hours most days this week, trying to accommodate the high volume of online orders that stack up before Valentines’s Day, not to mention all the other requests from walk-in customers.

By 1 p.m. Wednesday, he felt caught up, although on Tuesday he could feel time slipping away down the chocolate river, as he worked quickly to melt, dip, cool and decorate truffle after treat.

He’s a one-man assembly line, working on roughly four different sweets at one time, all in different stages of the process. As he begins melting down milk chocolate for his next batch, he tosses a molding tray of dark chocolate cows in the fridge to cool while he begins scooping balls of peanut butter onto a tray, then swiftly switches to adorning a tray of chocolate-covered graham crackers with red sprinkles.

Everything is about timing: he has to stop melting the chocolate before it gets too hot, and then has a short window when it can be molded around graham crackers or peanut butter balls before it needs to be cooled. But it must be decorated before its fully cooled.

On the big day, Pond said he can usually count on a group of mostly guys to line up just before they open Feb. 14, waiting for their last-minute chocolate savior.

Chocolate and Valentine’s Day’s long-term relationship dates back to 1861, when British chocolatier Richard Cadbury sold his confections in heart-shaped boxes for the holiday. According to CNN, his “fancy box” could be used for gifting and storing presents after the chocolates were consumed. The pairing of sweets for one’s sweet took the holiday by storm and has been a seasonal staple ever since.

And 162 years later, Sonoma’s chocolatiers are keeping the tasty tradition alive.

Wine Country offers another Valentine’s Day tradition that lends itself to the chocolate business: the pairing of red wines with dark chocolates. There’s no shortage of truffles infused with cabernet and zinfadel this holiday.

The Chocolate Cow

These chocolatiers have been selling treats on the Sonoma Plaza for 32 years. Started by Steve and Heidi Pond, the shop became a father-and-son duo when Max Pond stepped up as a chocolatier for the family business.

The business makes their chocolate on site, sending the sweet smell of cocoa floating through the air. They also sell fresh fudge, local ice cream and gelato, shaved ice and prepackaged candy. Keeping with the cow theme, there’s cut-outs of the animal covering the walls and cow-print decor, right down to the black-and-white checkered floor.

For Heidi, pairing wine and chocolate is all about heart, since, according to her, dark chocolate and red wine are both “heart healthy” and associated with romance.

“It’s good for your heart. It awakens your senses and brings a smile to your face,” Heidi said.

The shop has invested lots of time and creativity into making its Valentine’s Day treats. There’s heart-shaped chocolates, pink-and-red heart sprinkles, a pink chocolate cows and their newest specialty; the golden heart.

“Who doesn’t love chocolate?” Heidi said. “It says on our little sign out front: ‘All you need is love and chocolate.’”

The shop, located in the Mercato at 452 First St. E, suite F, is currently offering a variety of prepackages Valentine’s Day assortments. Patrons can also shop the sweets online at thechocolatecowshop.com.

Wine Truffle Boutique

Regina Taormina Rolland, co-founder and chocolatier at Wine Boutique Truffle, runs her shop inside Kenwood’s VJB Vineyard and Cellars with the help of a few employees and her daughter, who has been training under her for three years.

She grew up around her family’s bake shop in Selkirk, New York, before moving to Rincon Valley 22 years ago, where she opened a small cafe.

Ten years ago, looking for a new business adventure, she spoke with VJB’s Belmonte family about opening a dessert bar in their new winery. Her small shop sits within a makeshift town-square inside the winery, which, according to Taormina Rolland, resembles “Sonoma Valley’s own little Italy.”

She’s been preparing for Valentine’s Day for a while now, brainstorming designs and flavors to go along with the theme.

“I get excited about holidays, but especially Valentine’s Day,” Taormina Rolland said.

Because she makes and sells her chocolates inside a winery, she’s all about incorporating wine into her confections. She offers flavors like Blackberry Cabernet, Strawberry Balsamic Zinfandel and Fig Port.

“Everything that you would taste in a bold red, you taste those same flavors in the chocolate,” Taormina Rolland said.

One of her current creation features a brandy-soaked cherry and Barbera wine infused into the ganache, which all gets dipped twice in 60% cocoa and is garnished with a heart on top.

That new creation is available for purchase at the shop along with her whole collection, located at 60 Shaw Ave., in Kenwood. She also offers online ordering through her website at winetruffleboutique.com.

Wine Country Chocolates

Mother-daughter duo Betty and Caroline Kelly opened Wine Country Chocolates in 1999 after quitting their day-jobs to pursue the sweet life.

Betty began making the chocolates as a hobby, and taught Caroline the trick of the trade when she was in high school. They started off selling at farmers markets before moving into their first retail location in 2006 inside Jack London Village in Glen Ellen.

Known for their creamy truffles, the co-founders have a unique method of forming, hand-pressing and enrobing, a process where the center of the sweet is made first and is then coated in a thin layer of chocolate, rather than rolling it, which creates a signature texture.

With Wine Country in their name, they had to explore incorporating regional wines into their confections. They now have a variety of flavors that feature zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, port wines and champagne — they even have a “Vintners Box” of wine-infused chocolates. The chocolatiers also have a winery liaison who works with wineries to create perfect pairings.

As for Valentine’s Day preparation, people tend to prefer their traditional truffles above all else, so they don’t create specialty items for the holiday. But, that doesn’t mean they’re any less busy.

“Valentine’s Day is our second busiest time of the year and we prepare the best we can. However, our truffles are a fresh product so nothing can be made too far in advance,” Caroline said in an email. “It is a good ‘problem’ to have and we are grateful for our loyal customers creating such a high demand every year. We have extra staffing in the retail shop and our kitchen staff certainly works extra hours long into the night.”

The relationship between Valentine’s Day and chocolate is welcome by the duo, turning them from an already popular dessert shop into a gifting hot spot.

“Our 12 and 24 piece boxes fly off the shelves and we work round the clock just to try and keep the truffle shelves stocked,” Caroline wrote.

The shop has a tasting room on the Sonoma Plaza at 414 First St. E., along with the main shop in Glen Ellen at 14301 Arnold Drive. Their chocolates are also available online at winecountrychocolates.com.

Contact the reporter Rebecca Wolff at rebecca.wolff@sonomanews.com.