Dunk Your Valentine…In Chocolate and Wine!

Symbolically, I mean. Still, it's a nifty new twist to the same-ole-same-ole, and it does involve dipping something relatively large in a vat of molten chocolate...

This weekend, Feb 9 and 10, Cheryl Pirrera of Creative Confections in Toms River will set up shop at Plagido’s Winery in Hammonton. The event is part of the (redundantly named, but that’s their problem) Wine & Chocolate Wine Trail Weekend, happening statewide, more about which in a moment.

At Plagido’s, Pirrera will be selliing unopened bottles of wine that have been dipped in molten chocolate.

Here’s how it works. Many Plagido wines ($9.99 to $24.99) are available dipped. Pirrera used to dip on site, but now everything is done in advance: She seals the unopened bottle in two layers of sanitary plastic to protect the bottle as well as the chocolate. Next she dips it in dark, milk or white chocolate. And keeps on dipping, letting each layer dry, so that in the end the bottle has a full pound of chocolate clinging to it.

She decorates the coated bottle with squiggly lines of a contrasting color of chocolate. When that dries, the bottle is slipped into a clear plastic sleeve and tied with a ribbon. Cost: about $20 for the dipping, plus the price of the wine.

At home, simply break off chunks of chocolate. Theoretically it should be possible to take a sharp knife and, starting at the neck, cut straight down one side, across the bottom and up the other side. Gently pull the two bottle-shaped halves apart. Theoretically.

If you try it, let me know how it works.

Does chocolate go with wine? For Christine Wilson, marketing coordinator of Plagido’s, the answer is yes. "I like a whole symphony of flavors," she says. Milk chocolate works reasonably well for most of Plagido’s 30 varieties—for example, Concetta’s Casalinga, a semi-sweet red; Niagara, a semi-sweet white made with niagara grapes; and the Cab/Merlot Blend.

Wilson calls attentiopn to three pairings she thinks are special: the Cherry Wine dipped in dark chocolate; the Blueberry Wine dipped in White chocolate; and the dry red Vino de Casa, a blend of chambourcin and merlot.

"The white chocolate really pulls the black cherry notes out of the cherry wine," she says.

Plagido’s is just one of about 45 vineyards participating in this Saturday and Sunday’s Wine and Chocolate Wine Trail Weekend. At all of them, you’ll be able to sip wines and nibble on delectable chocolates from area chefs.

The annual event is designed to “encourage people to visit New Jersey’s wineries—and chocolate and wine are such a natural pair,” says spokesperson Tom Cosentino. “Whether they are visiting local wineries or making it part of a road trip, each location is doing something unique and special; from chocolatiers, to foods, to live music.”

There are six different trails to follow, each in a different part of the state. They are: Atlantic County, Cape May, Gloucester Salem, Shore, Sussex and Warren/Hunterdon.

Each trail makes three to nine stops where, from noon to 5 pm, for as little as $5, visitors can sample the vintner’s wines. In a few places, the treats, both liquid and solid, are complimentary.

Atlantic County has the highest concentration of vineyards, with three in Hammonton alone, and six more within about a 15-minute drive in any direction. Events include a heated tent and flowers for the ladies at Sharrott Winery in Blue Anchor, a chocolate fountain at Coda Rossa in Franklinville, and steaming mugs of red wine hot chocolate at Bellview Winery in Landisville. You can cuddle up for the night at The Tuscany House Hotel at the Renault Winery in Egg Harbor City.

Another long trail, Warren/Hunterdon, snakes down the state’s midsection. The trail starts at Brook Hollow Winery in Columbia—where Candida Huber will be infusing dark chocolate cups with wine jelly made from Brook Hollow’s Chambourcin Reserve. It ends in Princeton with free Thomas Sweet chocolates. There are seven stops along the way that might include chocolate wine balls, cupcakes or fondue.

Some wineries are offering lavish Valentine’s dinners after the actual holiday, which falls on a Thursday this year.

At Four Sisters in Belvidere on Saturday, February 16th, the Sweetheart’s Dinner will include five courses paired with Four Sisters wines and a sampling of four desserts, $150 per person. The St. Valentine’s Dinner Dance at Villa Milagro in Finesville will include hors d’oeuvres, salad, shrimp, filet mignon and chocolate desserts. Between courses there will be dancing amidst wine barrels and twinkling lights. Cost, $65 per person.

At all trail wineries, guests can buy a Wine Passport to be stamped at participating vineyards statewide. Each booklet, if filled and returned within a year, is entered into a drawing held in May.This year’s prize will be a trip for two to the wine country in Portugal. That is one sweet reward.

newjerseywinetrails.com

SUZANNE ZIMMER LOWERY is a food writer, pastry chef and culinary instructor at a number of New Jersey cooking schools. Find out more about her at suzannelowery.com.

 

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