Who can resist the two best food ever created , CHOCOLATE & WINE?!?!
As a crazy foodie, I decided to drag a friend to go to this $45 event with me. We drove from Sacramento to Lodi.
When we reached the visitor center, we received a free wine glass for tasting along with a container filled with dark chocolates (my favorite!). Not only this, but they had samples of different wines, some chocolate cupcakes, and best of all, port ice cream. This, to me, was a great start-off.
These are the places we drove to and what we had:
-Borra: We came there for their award-winning FUSION wine & S'mores! My taste bud didn't like the wine much though. On the other hand, s'mores are s'mores.. You can never go wrong with it.
When we reached the visitor center, we received a free wine glass for tasting along with a container filled with dark chocolates (my favorite!). Not only this, but they had samples of different wines, some chocolate cupcakes, and best of all, port ice cream. This, to me, was a great start-off.
These are the places we drove to and what we had:
-m2wines: Culinary arts students from the Art Institute of California made different savory dishes (using chocolate as an ingredient) which were paired with different wines. We got to taste all the dishes and pick our favorite. It was a fun experience, since I felt like one of the judge in Iron Chef! My favorite was braised pork breast paired with 2009 Artist Series Zinfandel.
-Watts winery: Went there for their 'port brownies' but didn't find any... :(
-Heritage Oak: They made delicious chocolate pizza! Thin, chewy crust topped off with chocolate drizzles and chocolate chip pieces
-Acquiesce: Their highlight is the Rose Jello shots. They were pretty good. They did a great job of keeping the flavor of the Rose still intact.
-Omega: Their Greek dishes and fondue were nothing special; however, their wines were all delicious. I actually bought back a $30 port. Unlike other ports, it is not as strong. More like a girly drink, I'd say. Their other dessert wines were also good, but I just had to control my wants before I end up getting broke.
-Borra: We came there for their award-winning FUSION wine & S'mores! My taste bud didn't like the wine much though. On the other hand, s'mores are s'mores.. You can never go wrong with it.
-Bokisch Vineyards at Cellardoor: They had churros dipped in chocolate, Bokisch Tempranillo, and some chocolate olive oil cake. They didn't stand out of the pool of wines I was swarmed with throughout the day.
-The Dancing Fox: They had some cherry wine and snacks (pizza, cookies, brownies) for us.
All in all, it was a great experience, especially if you are with your special someone during this time of the year. You get to venture through different areas of Lodi to try different wines.
However, if you are someone who wants to enjoy the scenery and wines, I'd say it's better off to go to Napa Valley.
Happy early Valentine's Day <3
