Upcoming wine happenings with the
Berks County Wine Trail....!

Chocolate & Wine Pairing Event Weekend
Saturday February 11th &
Sunday February 12th, 2012
(noon to 5 pm both days)

Wine = Love & Chocolate at this annual sweet event hosted by the Berks County Wine Trail. Visitors old and new to this unique wine trail during this particularly sweet weekend will discover sumptuous pairings of locally produced wines with chocolate and chocolatey confections. Taking place Saturday & Sunday February 11th and 12th (Noon to 5 PM both days), attendees and their loved ones will enjoy a sweet, self-guided tour of the wine trail's wineries. Create your own romantic getaway day by mapping out your own customized wine tour of the trail. Visit all 8 wineries or select just a few based on chocolates featured, wines featured or geographic location. This event is truly a sweet way to spend the day with your special valentine!

No tickets or reservations are required. The featured chocolate & wine pairings during this event are free. However, some of the wineries do charge modest fees for samplings from their full wine tasting menus. Please note those fees are often refundable with the purchase of a bottle of wine.

In the days ahead, a complete chocolate & wine pairing menu will be posted below - but here's a taste of what sweet adventures in wine tasting are in store for you and your sweetheart during this event weekend:

Pinnnacle Ridge Winery (Kutztown) celebrates the flavors of chocolate and roses during this event: milk chocolate covered orange peel paired with 2010 TRAMINETTE, an elegant, dry white wine with the slight floral aroma of roses. Also paired will be milk chocolate covered dried apricot paired with the winery's 2010 CAYUGA. and a plain dark chocolate wafer with their 2009 MERLOT. For these pairings, Pinnacle Ridge has paired up with local chocolatier Josh Early Candies. Josh Early has a history going back to the early 1900's and is known for their high quality chocolates and candies. (note: there is a $5/person tasting fee to sample 6 wines from the winery's main tasting menu; this fee is refundable with a wine purchase)

Manatawny Creek Winery (Douglassville) will be serving up samples of a divinely made Chocolate Cheesecake splashed with strawberry/Port wine sauce; all paired with the winery's own sublime CABERNET FRANC PORT. Complete dessert decadence!

Long Trout Winery (Auburn) makes a healthy departure during this event by serving up samples of homemade fruit soup paired with the ever-so guilty pleasure of their deliciously unique, CHOCOLATE WINE.

Kog Hill Winery (Morgantown) will help you kick off your red-shoes on by pairing Raspbertini's (made with their RASPBERRY DESSERT WINE) paired with "Meghan's famous Gooey Fudge Brownies" -- homemade brownies, you can't beat that as a Valentine's treat!?! (note: tasting fees for this winery's main tasting menu are waived during this event weekend).

Love is in the air at Clover Hill Winery’s Robesonia location. Visitors will be sampling featured wines with chocolates paired from Premise Maid Candies, a Berks County favorite. Celebrate with your Valentine by sampling dark chocolate candies with rich, black raspberry filling paired with VIGNOLES (white wine); and a Premise Maid classic: a dark chocolate turtle paired with the famous Clover Hill TURTLE ROCK RED.

Calvaresi Winery (Bernville) will make you pucker up with three featured wine pairings: Old Style APPLE JACK WINE paired with slices of dark chocolate covered apple; BACO NOIR red wine paired with chocolate covered cherries, and their romantic AUTUMN ROSE wine paired with the ever popular, triple-chocolate-malted-milk-ball. These chocolates will be available for sale during this event.

Blair Vineyards (Kutztown) will fluff up your taste in romance with a soft Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse topped with Cherry Jam. This new level of pillow-talk will be paired with their featured red wine, the 2008 PINOT NOIR. Talk about a romantic sweet nothings!! (note: there is a $5/person tasting fee to sample from the winery's main tasting menu; this fee is refundable with a wine purchase).

Bashore & Stoudt County Winery (Shartlesville) will feature not only their ever-popular milk chocolate fountain, but they will share the love with a new white chocolate fountain. Visitors can enjoy the guilty pleasure of dipping fruit and other confections into these chocolate baths while pairing featured fruit wines from Bashore's wine list.