Sweethearts! Looking for a sweet, romantic way to spend the day together Valentine’s weekend? Visit the 8 wineries of the Berks County Wine Trail during their annual ‘Chocolate & Wine Pairing Event Weekend.’ From 12 to 5 p.m. both Saturday, Feb. 15 and Sunday, Feb. 16, visitors will enjoy sweet and chewy pairings of chocolatey confections paired with featured wines of the region! Eight different, unique pairings of wine with chocolate (one pairing at each winery) will be the weekend’s showcase. This event is free, no reservations or tickets required. The 9th annual Chocolate and Wine Pairing Event Weekend, is a highly anticipated event each winter not only for wine and chocolate lovers, but area wine lovers. Plus it is a great weekend for those not too familiar with wine to come out and discover there is a wine just for them locally available here in Pennsylvania.
This event is self-guided, so you can really plan a romantic day out in the countryside with your sweetheart! This event is also a great opportunity to discover the wide variety of quality wines produced in Berks County: at each stop visitors can explore the full wine list offered by each winery in addition to the featured pairings. Please note, that a few of the wineries do charge a nominal fee for tastings from their full wine list (fee refundable with purchase of a bottle of wine). However, the featured chocolate tasting/wine pairing is free. Wine will be available for purchase at all 8 wineries. And at select wineries, so will some of the chocolates!
What makes the Berks County Wine Trail so interesting is the array of wines produced by the wineries. The menu of wines offered by this wine trail is particularly diverse and vast. Not only will visitors delight in finding a wine to enjoy with their Valentine’s sweets, but other wines to pair with a great meal, or wines to take to a favorite byob, or just to enjoy sipping on a crisp Winter afternoon.
The complete menu of wine & chocolate pairings is posted on the wine trail’s website www.berkscountywinetrail.com click thru to the ‘events’ pages, but here’s a preview of what to share with your sweetheart!
Bashore & Stoudt Winery (Shartlesville): Visitors will be able to indulge by dipping select fruits and treats into flowing fountains of milk chocolate and white chocolate while free-flow pairing with various fruit wines. Featured will be chocolate-dipped strawberries paired with the winery’s own Strawberry wine.
Blair Vineyards (Kutztown): The vineyard’s own Kutztown grown 2010 Pinot Noir paired with homemade, chocolate bread pudding. A free copy of this rich recipe will be available to share with you and your sweetheart.
Calvaresi Winery (Bernville): Serving up samples of chocolate covered cherries paired with their signature 2013 Baco Noir as well as pairing their 2013 Riesling with samples of chocolate covered apricot. Both these styles of chocolates will be available for sale.
Clover Hill Vineyards (Robesonia): Fall in love during this stop along the Berks County Wine Trail. Clover Hill will be featuring a chocolate peanut butter mousse confection from Premise Maid Candies (Breinigsville) paired with Clover Hill’s Concord red wine. This comforting combo tastes just like an adult peanut butter and jelly! Chocolates are available for purchase. Note: this event is available at Robesonia location of Clover Hill only!
Kog Hill Winery (Morgantown): Moist, homemade chocolate-fudge-infused brownies drizzled in a sweet, cranberry reduction sauce with be paired with the winemaker’s new ‘Kranbernet’ (a clever blend of dry cranberry wine and Cabernet Sauvignon blended & aged in American Oak).
Long Trout Winery (Auburn): For a healthy, green treat during your Valentine’s adventures, the winery will featuring strawberry spinach salad with their signature ‘Berried-In-Chocolate’ wine-infused dressing as well as samples of chocolate-covered jalapeno peppers. Wines to be paired with each will be announced shortly.
Manatawny Creek Winery (Douglassville): Delight in samples of a chocolate-raspberry-cream roll set in a bed of raspberry wine sauce, paired with festive Sparkling Raspberry Wine. A sweet way to toast your sweetie!
Pinnacle Ridge Winery (Kutztown): Wine & chocolate pairings featured to be posted soon.
For more information about the wine trail, maps & directions, please visit: berkscountywinetrail.com
*This event’s featured wine/food pairings are free; please note that some of the wineries do charge a nominal fee for wine tastings from their complete wine list; tasting fee is refundable with purchase of a bottle of wine.
Plan on spreading the love with many sweethearts? Please, all ‘Groups’ larger than 8 people, it would be very helpful if you contacted the wineries you plan on visiting to let them know about your plans to visit. Your call will assist in winery planning to make your visit sweet! Please note, ‘No Buses’ will be accepted at Pinnacle Ridge Winery during this event weekend.
Combined, the Berks County wineries have won hundreds of state and international awards and produce nearly 100 individual wines. The winemakers, their families and employees are proud to be able to preserve beautiful countryside landscapes and the agricultural heritage of
Pennsylvania farming through the growing and processing of Pennsylvania grown grapes and fruits. The Berks County Wine Trail’s membership are proud to be associated with Pennsylvania Wine Association, Pennsylvania Wine Society, the PQA, and PA-Preferred Programs, Buy Fresh/Buy Local
PA, and several regional Visitors Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce. For more info: berks_county_wine_trail@yahoo.com or www.berkscountywinetrail.com
