Fresno County Wine and Chocolate Weekend Tour 

By Simon Cooper 

A half dozen VBAC’ers enjoyed a brisk Sunday afternoon’s offering of some light rainy, mid 50’s, weather to take in the annual Fresno County Wine and Chocolate Lover’s event, sponsored by the Twin Rivers Vintners Association. If it was the threat of less than favorable weather that kept everyone home for the day, it proved to be a great afternoon for all in attendance. Four wineries and a brewery were selected for our little eastern Fresno County journey, with each location providing for some great tasting along the way. Our tour kicked off at Valley Oak Winery, where five varieties were available for tasting, as well as some outstanding wine infused home made chocolates. These folks showed us some great hospitality and will be worth a repeat stop in the future. Our next stop was Kings River Winery and then on to the Gibson Wine Company in Sanger. Gibson has been in continuous operation for 85 years, offering a great variety of wines and a fantastic Brandy. Visit their website at gibsonwinecompany.com to learn more about their products and interesting history. Our winery stops concluded at Marechal Vineyards, where the group enjoyed their great wine selections and warm atmosphere. With the rain still blessing our afternoon’s travels, our final stop on the tour was that of Two Ravens Brewery. Located east of Fresno and north of Sanger, Two Ravens offers a variety of Craft Beers and was voted one of the top three winners of the “2023 Best of Central California” in the Brewery category. They were also recently the recipients of the 2023 Silver Medal award for their “Freydis” in the Blonde Ale category and their “Old Nessie” in the Scottish Ale category. At the close of the afternoon, everyone seemed to agree they had a great time. The only thing lacking was “food opportunities” at the stops along the way. In the end, The Red Caboose Cafe, located adjacent to Two Ravens did not disappoint. Yet another hearty meal was enjoyed there and we, as always, look forward to returning very soon.