At its heart, yoga is about balance. Strength and flexibility are also key, but without balance, you’ll fall… literally.
So it was in a balanced state that I found myself in last Sunday morning at Penns Woods Winery, focusing on a point far off in the vineyard, trying not to fall.
Last weekend began a series called Wine, Body and Soul that PWW is hosting in conjunction with yoga instructor (and chocolatier, we later discovered) Merry Bliss. The day began at 11 am with the utterly idyllic half-hour yoga class in the field, between rows of grapevines. After our bodies were balanced, we moved to the porch to indulge in the balanced pairings of Penns Woods’ wines with locally made cheese and chocolates.
Following a natural progression from light whites to rich reds, the tasting began with the sweet but dry 2010 Traminette, paired with Hillacres Pride’s Westbrook cheese. After a few perfect sips and bites, Tasting Room Manager Andrea Gillespie brought out PWW’s uniquely light Pinot Grigio Reserve 2006 for us to sample with Hillacres’ Colby. Finishing off the whites was their Chardonnay Reserve 2008 that spent less time the oak barrel than most other Chardonnays, placing it somewhere on the spectrum between the oaky norm and the new stainless steel variations. Bites of Hillacres’ Smoked Cheddar elicited comments of “It’s like bacon!” from the group.
The succession of whites had prepared us for the two beautiful reds and the chocolate truffles we’d all been eyeing. From the first taste of my Chambourcin Reserve 2006, I knew this was something new, different than anything I’d experienced before. And the wine’s peppery notes were echoed in the hot pepper spiced chocolate truffle, handmade by Merry Bliss. The second truffle – all sweet and 100% chocolatey – balanced the Cabernet Reserve 2004 that wrapped up our tasting session.
I’d had to dust off my yoga mat for the occasion, but Merry tailored the session to the abilities of yogis in attendance, creating a nice mix of vinyasa sequences, balance poses and sun salutations. Since yoga stresses doing your personal best rather than meeting a standard of perfection, people of all skill levels can enjoy and benefit.
PWW is continuing the event for four more weeks (Sept. 25, Oct. 2, 9, & 16) and also plans to start again in the spring. The $35 class includes the wine tasting, a discount on the day’s purchases, and an amazing wine bottle tote bag. Both the yoga class and wine tasting will vary from week to week, so you can plan to attend more than once!
As my good friend, yoga and wine enthusiast Kate Gerhart proclaimed as we left the picture-perfect vineyard, “yoga in the crisp air combined with the tasty vino was the perfect way to spend a fall day with a friend.”
Visit www.pennswoodsevents.com for more information and to register for the event.
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