While many people spend lots of money on fine wines, until recently you generally couldn’t say the same about chocolate --not even gourmet chocolate. However, with the advent of high-end Chocolatiers like Amadei, you can now find chocolates to which terms like terroir are now applied (a term from the wine-world that is used to describe the unique flavors and tones imparted by a specific region).

Amadei is an Italian company established in the 1990s whose gourmet chocolate is now in high demand by chocolate connoisseurs. They offer specially grown varieties of chocolate like Porcelana and Chuao that can sell for over $100 a pound!

For the true gourmet chocoholic, money is no object, and Amadei is definitely one of the ultimate gourmet chocolates around, bar none.

But What if I Don’t Want to Spend That Much?

For those who blanch at such prices, a less expensive gourmet chocolate option is Godiva of course. In comparison, for approximately $70 you can get a bit over two pounds of dark chocolate. You also might want to explore other options such as Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, and possibly small local producers if you’re concerned mainly with using chocolate in baking. For example, in Hawaii there is plantation on the Big Island called the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory that grows its chocolate locally and produces it within the state!

I’m Lazy – Give Me Truffles!

Maybe baking isn’t quite up your alley, and you just want to enjoy your gourmet chocolate in the form of truffles or other confections. Again, the aforementioned Amadei is probably one of the top companies to check out. Suffice it to say that their truffles are far cheaper than their pure chocolate squares. Otherwise, go with a standby like Godiva to satisfy your chocolate tooth.

With chocolate however, there’s almost no way to go wrong no matter what brand you choose. Do a Google search for gourmet chocolates and you’ll find interesting sites such as chocosphere.com that put you to the road to achieving chocolate nirvana. Just make certain to keep an eye on your pocketbook when your chocolate addiction kicks in!