I love Carlo's threads!
Yes. I posted to Carlo: it is dark chocolate. I am unsure if it is a cooked merlot sauce, since there is still an alcohol content.
The cooking is a connection to the past. They say odor is the strongest evocation of memory and I agree.
Ah, the smells! Fresh pine tree, logs in the fireplace, and the smell of food : )
I got so sick of turkey, I started serving standing rib roast on Christmas.
As far as odor, I remember my Grandparents house in rural Massachusetts. The basement had solid rock walls, and I'm thinking they must have used dynamite to create it. The smell was odd, but not unpleasant. Over the years I've caught a whiff of that smell, and it brings me right back to my visit when I was 9.