Meetup: Chocolates & Wine "Pre-Valentines"

Update 02/03/2010: Wow . . . this Meetup filled-up quickly! We moved from opening it to 30, to 50, to 75+, all within a few days. Thanks so much for your wonderful response to this idea. Should be fun! Hope a lot of our group can remain for dinner with Susan, me, and the winner of dinner (i.e., the person who brings the wine voted "best with chocolate). I have established a waiting list, for those who want to attend but weren't able to RSVP early enough to get a confirmed "Yes" RSVP. But we're at the limit of the restaurant's capacity, as well as our own abilities to taste even a fraction of the wines that will be there. That's why I'm hoping a lot of us can stay for dinner and finish the wine! If you join the waiting list, check the site occasionally to see if anyone has cancelled and you have been confirmed? I'll try to email you, if I see that happen. Most of all, thanks everyone, for your enthusiasm for this event. I just wish all 500+ of us could be there! We're going to have to rent the BiLo Center for future events. i Email me if you have questions, and thanks! * * * Update 01/29/2010: Our intrepid and faithful long-time Wine Meetup member, Dave Kelley, realized I posted two times for this Meetup, 5:30 in the description below, but 7:00 in the "Date/Time." Thanks for this good catch, Dave! The time is and was intended to be 5:30, so that (as the description said) members working downtown can come over to Devereaux's and start Valentine's weekend early. I hope the two-times thing hasn't created a problem for anyone? If it prevents your attendance, then let me know. As you can see (at the moment), we have a full house and RSVPs are closed. We also have a waiting list. So, if you need to cancel, all of us will miss you a lot, but I'll understand because of the time mix-up. However, I'm also working with Devereaux's to see if we can move the event out of the private dining room and into their lounge area, which is lovely! If they are able to make that change, I hope a good number of us can stay for dinner to say "thanks." More soon, after I meet with the Devereaux's team! Watch this space. * * * What could be more wonderful, a few days before Valentine's Day, than a chance to get together with Meetup friends to share chocolates and wine! We'll be meeting in the private dining room at Devereaux's, to enjoy a variety of house-made chocolates by Chef Spencer and his team. But if you are so inclined, bring along chocolate specialties of your own! It's not required, but might be fun if you have a "chocolate tradition" for Valentine's Day/Week/Month. What you must bring is wine! But what pairs well with chocolate? Well, that's what we're going to decide. Here are some ideas from past wine & chocolate tastings: Rich reds! Some people swear by these. Others say red wine and chocolate should never be paired. Find out for yourself. When I was on staff at Chateau St. Jean in Sonoma County, CA, one of our guests' favorite pairings was dark chocolate and Chateau St. Jean's Reserve Merlot (only available at the winey). I may bring a bottle. If you're in Sonoma, stop by and pick up a few bottles yourself! Sweets for the sweet! Other folks swear that red wine tannins aren't a great match for luscious chocolates (oh, unless you've tasted Devereaux's chocolates, you don't know what luscious is!). So, they'll pair a Port -- great choice, in my book; bring me a 20 Year Tawny -- or even a Moscato. What do you think? Or, your choice might be . . . ? We'll start the tasting at 5:30, so people working downtown can come straight to Devereaux's and start their Valentine's weekend with a flair! But around 7:00-ish, we'll take a vote among Meetup members and guests who are there, to establish once-and-for-all (well, for that night, anyway) what the very best wine pairing with chocolate has been. So, don't miss this opportunity to join your friends -- or make new friends! -- as The Greenville Wine Meetup joins passion to pairings for Valentine's Day. Email me, if you have questions, or I look forward to seeing you there!