To be quite honest, up until a year-and-a-half ago, I never gave food pairings much thought.  Wine, beer, whiskey, paired with food, I figured it was just nonsense.  Then, in October 2015 my wife treated me to a birthday surprise featuring the pairing of  Steve’s Hot Dogs and Schlafly brew.  The fun took place for lucky few up at a local tavern, the Tick Tock Tavern, located right next door from Steve’s.  Schlafly brought with them a host of tapped brews and the fun began.
Hot dogs and beer. Â I would have loved them together no matter what, but you know what? Â I actually figured out the fun of the pairing. Â I let myself actually listen to the Schlafly rep and behold, I realized that mixing and matching these flavors could actually be fun, satisfying and make sense.
With that lesson now engrained, I am now forever in search of more pairings, the more drastic the better.
Which brings me to the point of my writing today:
The Wild Bacon Wine Trail
If it were up to me, bacon would be a food group. Â And thanks to health reasons my consumption of the beloved meat is at an all time low, unless it has the word turkey in front of it. Â That said, it’s time to take a vacation from the healthy stuff and have some fun with the real thing.
May 6 & 7, 2017
Saturday, 10:00 to 5:00 âą Sunday, 11:00 to 5:00
Smoky, savory and always delicious, bacon will be the star ingredient in the foods paired with wine at seven stops on the Hermann Wine Trail.  Participating wineries; Adam Puchta, Bias, Dierberg Star Lane, Hermannhof, OakGlenn and Stone Hill.  The $30 ticket price includes a souvenir wine glass.  Purchase tickets in advance online at www.HermannWineTrail.com or call the Hermann Welcome Center at 800-932-8687.
2017 Wild Bacon Tasting Menu
- Adam Puchta
German Quark and Sweet Bacon Pinwheel, paired with Dry Vignoles
- Bias
Bacon-loaded Baked Potato Salad, paired with Sangria
- Dierberg Star Lane
Smothered Bacon Asiago Wine Chicken, paired with Sauvignon Blanc
- Hermannhof
Bacon-wrapped Stuffed Dates, paired with Vignoles
- OakGlenn
Massa Bacon, paired with Blush
- Röbller
Savory Bean and Bacon Stew, paired with Vidal Blanc
- Stone Hill
Brie and Bacon Jam Canapeâ, paired with Pink Catawba
