SF Gourmet Chocolate and Wine Tour

About this time last year, Andrea Nadel was getting some early buzz on her brand new San Francisco Gourmet Chocolate Tour -- the three-hour stroll through our city streets with a view toward history and some tastings of champagne truffles and cocoa.

Eight months later, Nadel claimed the Tastiest Walking Tour Award from the San Francisco Weekly (May 2008) and is now expanding her tour beyond a single-food consciousness. Gourmet Walks, her taste-inspired tour company, is nudging chocolate lovers toward a most irresistible pairing -- chocolate and wine -- with the aptly named San Francisco Gourmet Chocolate and Wine Tour.

I don't claim to be an expert in this intricate culinary endeavor (the pairing), but I do know that combining two elements, each laden with taste complexities, isn't a task for cowards. Andrea's tour addresses that very concept, taking participants on a tour of six local stops where they can hone their skills and saturate their taste buds and their minds.

A few things you'll see and learn on this tour:

• An artisan chocolate manufacturer, who manages production from bean to bar
• A beloved local chocolatier who showcases fresh, farmer’s market ingredients
• A hidden downtown wine bar offering over 40 wines by the glass
• San Francisco’s first wine tasting space, featuring 8 unique California wineries in a spacious, modern setting

You'll have to check the Gourmet Walks website for the full rundown, and for information about her new Chocolate Lover Card which entitles the bearer to some discounts and some VIP cachet at eight local chocolate boutiques.

The San Francisco Gourmet Chocolate and Wine Tour is a Sunday-only endeavor, happening at 2p with advance tickets required. Customers must be 21 years or older, and the cost is $72 for a three-hour tour which includes all of the above as well as the less tangible -- the pure sensory experience of eating, drinking and enjoying.

And yes, she does offer gift certificates for either the Gourmet Chocolate Tour or the Chocolate and Wine Tour.

Related articles:

• San Francisco Chocolate Gourmet Tour (About.com: San Francisco/October 2008)
• Gourmet Walks Blog

^{Images Courtesy of Gourmet Walks}