The sweetest surprise

My sweet hubby knows me too well. For our Valentine's celebration, he reserved spots for us at the Wine Authorities' Lovin' Bubbles tasting class held this past Friday evening. He planned this surprise for us all on his own, kept it a secret from me for more than a week, and even arranged for a babysitter.
Hubby knew this was the perfect gift for me; I love sparkling wine and I love chocolate. I could survive off those two items alone. Well, maybe those plus water and cheese. Anyway, hubby knew this would make me VERY happy.
We arrived promptly at 7:30 and found our way to the front of the class. Eight empty glasses and a blank tasting notes sheet awaited each of us. The class was full within minutes with around 35 "students."

We tasted the following 8 sparkling wines:
(1) Antech Blanquette de Limoux 2007, (2) R. Coutier Grand Cru Brut Champagne NV, (3) Adami "Garbel" Prosecco 13 NV, (4) Sumarroca Cava Reserva Brut 2007, (5) Steininger Grüner Veltliner 2007, (6) Lo Duca Lambrusco Rosso Dulce NV, (7) Sant' Evasio Moscato d'Asti 2008, and (8) Sant' Evasio Brachetto d'Acqui 2009.

I appreciated the fact that we didn't learn the cost of these wines until after tasting each one.
For me what was most helpful was that we tasted an array of styles of sparkling wine all in one sitting. I knew I liked Prosecco and I knew I like Cava, but before this tasting I didn't really have grounds for comparison because I can't remember ever trying them side by side.
I will admit that I liked the champagne the best, the Austrian Steininger second best, and very surprisingly, the sweet, low-cost Lambrusco third best, although every wine was a winner.

Tastings are meant to be fun, especially when drinking wine is just your hobby. The experts at Wine Authorities are so helpful during these tastings, even providing all of us with the basic steps of how to taste wine.
One of the best tips they've shared is that when writing down tasting notes, just jot whatever comes to mind, be it the oddest smell or flavor in the world. Writing down in my own words will help me to better remember the specifics of that wine. I come up with some crazy things too, i.e. popcorn, coca cola, sunshine, paper, and baby poo!!! (For the record, by baby poo I mean breastfed infant baby poo, which smells vastly different than real-food fed toddler poo).

In between sips we learned how different styles of sparkling wines are produced, about different regions of sparkling wine production, and interesting tidbits like what a "nun's fart" is. (For those who are curious, a "nun's fart" is the quiet hissing noise heard when the pressure is released while properly opening a bottle of bubbly).

We were then joined by Jon Marcarelli, part-owner of Durham-based Dolly Mama Handmade Chocolates. He provided us with the eight delicious samples shown below.

We learned a lot about the chocolate-making process, from bean to bar, though it involves many steps and includes some large scientific-sounding terminology and is far too deep for me to explain on this blog.
Just know cocoa powder + cocoa butter + sugar/milk = chocolate heaven.
I can honestly say that I now know from experience that a higher percentage of cocoa powder/cocoa butter on the label of chocolate bar does not equate to better quality or better flavor chocolate. That's just part of an overall formula.
We were offered a square of 100% cocoa chocolate to prove this point. It was one of the worst tasting things I've ever put on my tongue, reminescent of disintegrating tylenol. It was as if I were licking a wooden table. Oh so bad.
My favorite was a cocheria from Colombia. Made from the Trinitaria bean, this chocolate had flavors of cherry fruit, espresso bean, and cinnamon. It was fantastic.

To finish off a perfect evening, Hubby bought me The Eros box of Dolly Mama chocolates. It included: The Oscuro, Love Potion, Sweet Tea, the Jasmine Fleur de Lys, the Golden Buddha, Don Juan Kiss, Angel's Share, Hand of Buddha Citron. The box is now gone.

Thank you hubby for some wonderful memories!