Get tactile this season at Red Rooster Winery with the hands-on and lip-smacking experience of the “Melt in your Mouth – Chocolate & Wine Pairing.” Back by popular demand, this tasting experience at The Coop unlocks the sensual world of pairing wine with chocolate. Complimentary for wine club members and up to five guests, it’s only $5 per person and you’ll need to reserve ahead because space is limited. Chef Darin Paterson of Bogner’s of Penticton, who also creates the delectable farm-to-table cuisine offered at Red Rooster’s Pecking Room Patio and Grill, crafts the chocolate. You’ll see evidence of his international flair and love of diversity in his menu. A great place to linger and savour award-winning wines, food and vineyard vistas, the Pecking Room is open daily, May 24 to October 12, from noon to 5 pm.
Ah, but back to the Chocolate & Wine Pairing: along with Chef Darin’s artisan chocolate, they will tease your palate with three sumptuous wines. Start with the Reserve Gewürztraminer ($21.99) paired with citrus-infused white chocolate. Together it’s a symphony between the dry, slightly rich Gewürztraminer with notes of lychee, citrus and pink grapefruit and the citrus notes of the white chocolate. Dance on to the 2012 Reserve Malbec ($26.99) with dried cherry dark chocolate. Here let the deep brambleberry, rich spice, coffee and cocoa aspects of this wine released Fall 2014, comprised of Malbec grapes entirely from the on-site estate vineyard, mingle with the bitter notes of the dark chocolate. The tannins are tamed and you’ll want to play this melody of flavours on and on. For the crescendo, prepare yourself for the Reserve Riesling Icewine ($69.90) matched with a dark chocolate truffle. The harmony created between the smooth creaminess of the truffle and balanced icewine, which was harvested on New Year’s Eve and is Red Rooster’s first in 10 years, is divine.
Check out www.redroosterwinery.com for all of the details on how to sign up for the Chocolate & Wine Pairings and other events. Opt on to the email list to receive the most up-to-date information and learn all about the new releases as they hatch at Red Rooster. Join in on the fun on social media and follow on Twitter @RedRoosterWine and www.facebook.com/RedRoosterWine because as Forrest Gump said “Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.” **Clip the ad in the magazine to use as a coupon for a free tasting!
~ Roslyne Buchanan