Gold Country Delish: Wine & Chocolate Weekend

Venture onto the Madera Wine Trail the weekend ahead of Valentine's 2017.

THERE ARE THOSE OENOPHILES... who simply savor the act of placing their lips to a glass and gently drawing in the liquid contents. Call it studied sipping, or quiet quaffing, or letting a libation of note fill your mouth and mind. However you approach taking a pull of fine wine, there's a moment of contemplation, of getting acquainted with what exactly you're tasting (berries, pine, wind, earth), and pausing before your next sip. But maybe this isn't quite how you savor your pinot noir or sauvignon blanc or cabernet sauvignon. Maybe, just perhaps, your eyes are doing a bit of roaming behind the rim of the wine-holding vessel. And perhaps, just maybe, you're looking for a bite or a nosh or a slice of something yummy to complement and enhance the drink you're enjoying. It's quite likely the tidbit you search out is sweet, for few combinations are as lovely and legendary as wine and chocolate. It makes tasty sense, then, that the...

MADERA WINE TRAIL... would devote a full weekend each year to these two flavorful staples, one a bewitching liquid, one representing gooey-candy-luscious perfection. That this weekend lands right around Valentine's Day also makes sense, and that the 2017 dates are up, and tickets are available, all fits together in the larger picture. Prepare to wend along the Gold Country pathways to area wineries on Saturday, Feb. 11 or Sunday, Feb. 12, all while enjoying a wide assortment of vinos tastings and scrumptious cocoa-bright bites. A pre-sale discount ticket? It's available now for $25 (buy it before Feb. 10). Live tunes, shopping at various winery gift shops, and other festive weekend-festooning happenings will dot the schedule. It's Valentine's-y with a vineyard twist, and a smattering of chocolate-y sweet sprinkles on top. Have a paramour who likes wine and dessert but hasn't yet gotten to know Gold Country's vine-nice offerings? Your Valentine's getaway could change all that.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us