Got Wine? Chocolate? Berks Weekend of Wine & Chocolate Pairing

Get your sweet on! The Berks County Wine Trail’s annual “Chocolate & Wine Pairing Event Weekend” is the ideal opportunity to get sweet, be sweet, or be with your sweetie. Taking place Saturday Feb. 9th and Sunday February 10th (Noon to 5 PM both days) this chocolatey event will give you 8 opportunities to try indulgent pairings of wines and chocolates. Wine and chocolate? A sweetheart of a pairing!

No reservations required; this event is free. Please note that several wineries do charge a nominal fee for tasting of their full wine menu (fee refundable by a purchase of a bottle of wine). Not familiar with the quality winemaking happening here in Berks County? This event is a sweet introduction to the county’s hidden gem. New to the world of wine in general; curious to know more? If you like chocolate, well then, you’ll be certain to like wine and the experience of wine tasting.

Chocolate & Wine Pairing Event Weekend is a self-guided tour of all 8 Berks County Wine Trail wineries. Plan your day’s travels based on the wineries’ locations, or the menu of wine pairings, or perhaps visit trail wineries you have never been to before. What better way than to spend a crisp, beautiful winter’s afternoon than planning a daytrip around scenic Berks County, with warming stops at wineries to sample an array of wines, chocolates or chocolatey confections. Wines will be available for purchase at each winery; select wineries will have chocolates available for purchase too!

If you are looking for a sweet gift for your Valentine, this event is a great way to select a beautiful bottle of wine for your romantic Valentines’ Day dinner, or a sweet gift of a bottle of wine and chocolates for your beloved.

A complete list of all the participating wineries - the wines and the chocolate-y confections to be enjoyed - is available on the Berks County Wine Trail’s website (events page), but here is a sweet preview of how attendees will be indulging:

Bashore & Stoudt Country Winery (Shartlesville) will pair select fruit wines with two glorious fountains of melted chocolate: white chocolate and milk chocolate. Visitors can dive into the flowing streams of chocolate with bit-sized samples of fresh fruit, cake, and pretzels while pairing various wines.

Blair Vineyards (Kutztown) keeps the beer and the wine lover in mind with samples of Chocolate Stoudt Cake with Chocolate Icing paired with the winery’s 2010 Syrah red wine.

Calvaresi Winery (Bernville) creates a luscious menu of wine and chocolate pairings: Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger with Gewurtrztraminer white wine; Ultimate Malted Milk Balls with Concord red wine and Tiramisu Caramels with their ever-popular Baco Noir red wine. Explore the delicate details of why a particular wine pairs with a particular type of chocolate during your visit. Gift packages of these chocolates (from www.calvaresicoffee.com) will be available for sale as well. Great for Valentine’s Day - bottle of wine and a gift of chocolate!

Clover Hill Winery (Robesonia) plans for your loved one’s double decadence! Led by master chocolatier, Moussey Moose Chocolates, (www.mousseymoosechocolates.com), visitors will sample artisan chocolates with premium Clover Hill wines. Moussey Moose Ravishing Raspberry Bonbon will be paired with Clover Hill’s big and bold Cabernet Sauvignon. A luscious Lemon Bonbon, in the shape of a heart, will be paired with the winery’s sweet Vignoles white wine. Gift boxes of Moussey Moose Chocolates will be available for sale.

Manatawny Creek Winery (Douglassville) Sultry, Chambourcin wine-infused caramel sauce drizzled over moist, Chambourcin infused chocolate cake (all homemade!) and cleverly paired with the winery’s own Chambourcin dry, red wine. A sweetly seductive, rendez-vous between chocolate and wine.

Pinnacle Ridge Winery (Kutztown) and their own Chef Ben will be preparing two unique creations for this Valentine’s event: A Dark Chocolate Sweet Seduction Cookie (made with the winery’s own “Sweet Seduction” wine) will be paired with with Sweet Seduction red wine. Also, a creative pairing of Cocoa and Smoked Habanero Dusted Wonton paired with the winery’s 2010 Chambourcin dry red wine will spice up some romance!

Both Kog Hill Winery of Morgantown and Long Trout Winery of Auburn’s menu of chocolate & wine pairings will be posted to the wine trail’s website in the days ahead.

For more information: www.berkscountywinetrail.com or berks_county_wine_trail@yahoo.com