It’s February 18 and I set out with my group of 16 on our Wine-Oh! Chocolate and Wine Lovers Day Trip. Now, planning a trip in February in Southern Indiana is a risky business, as it could very easily turn out to be bitter cold, snowy or even worse, ice could rain down. This was not the case though as we enjoyed a dry February day with temperatures in the 60s.
We traveled by mini-bus, so for everyone to be comfortable and have room to spread out a bit, I closed out the tour at a maximum of 16 people. It was unfortunate that I had to turn away quite a number of last minute requests to join us, but for my tours it’s a clear choice of quality over quantity. The wineries are just not large enough to comfortably accommodate more and I don’t want my guests to feel as if they are being herded through the trip like cattle.
(Note: This tour was by mini-bus. We also use full-size motorcoach transportation on some itineraries. For custom tours you have option to choose your mode of transportation from limo, mini-bus or 47 passenger motorcoach ….and more.)
Our first stop was Winzerwald Winery and they really took great care of us. They had a selection of suggested wine pairings to accompany the various chocolates they had provided. Chocolate covered grapes and strawberries were among the offerings. Then the guests were free to taste the wines of their choosing. Everyone really enjoyed both the hospitality of the staff and their lovely wines. Enroute to our next visit, we had a drawing for our first door prize.
Scout Mountain Winery served us a nice, homemade lunch as well as providing us with a wine tasting and a number of interesting chocolates to choose from. A couple of the more unusual offerings were chocolate covered bacon and white chocolate covered green olives. As always, owners Mike and Margaret Schad provided a most fun and friendly atmosphere for our guests.
At Turtle Run, owners Jim and Laura Pfeiffer had set up a separate tasting area for us and offered insights into their wine-making processes. Chocolate turtles (literally shaped like turtles) in white, dark and milk chocolate were a favorite along with the raspberry wine cakes.
Best Vineyards Winery welcomed us with a wine tasting and a generous selection of chocolate goodies to enjoy. With the lovely weather, some chose to spend some time on the deck overlooking the vineyard before we set off to our final visit.
Monkey Hollow, the newest of the wineries on our tour, greeted us warmly and offered a chocolate and wine tasting, including the opportunity to taste one of the red wines in a little cup made of dark chocolate, a wonderful combination! I had made arrangements for us to have a light meal, which they happily provided. The sandwiches were top-notch along with a selection of premium cheeses that would also compliment the wines.
This brought our day to a close and we began our short drive back to Evansville. A second door prize was given away and it was a great end to a great day. A very gracious thank you to all of my guests for joining us! Also, a special thanks to my winery partners for all your support.
I hope you will join us on one of our next wine tours and see just how much fun one day can bring!!