Lancaster, Chocolate and Wine...Oh My!

So you know that old commercial.... You got your chocolate inside of my peanut butter.... We've got one better for you! How about Chocolate and Wine? That's right a tour geared specifically for those with a distinguished pallet, one that enjoys the deep beauty of these flavonoid enriched ingredients.  

Lancaster County Wine

Although certain red wines are the winners when it comes to having the most, Dark Chocolate, in it's purest form ranks high also. After doing some research on the web, I found this article/research paper from the http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/ and found it most intriguing. Below is an excerpt from the article:

The flavonoids and polyphenols found in four different types of chocolate (white, milk, 40% cocoa dark
and 71% cocoa dark) and four varieties of red wine (Pinot-Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tannat)
were evaluated. The best results were found using 71% cocoa dark chocolate (D71) (flavonoids =
21.6 ± 2.4 lmol of catechin equivalents/g and polyphenols = 62.9 ± 0.1 lmol of catechin equivalents/g)
and Tannat wine (flavonoids = 5.4 ± 0.1 lmol of catechin equivalents/ml and polyphenols = 14.3 ±
1.1 lmol of catechin equivalents/ml) which were statistically different against other varieties. Vanillin
flavour was shown to interfere with colour development in the spectrophotometric analysis of the flavonoids.
The results indicated that 49 g of D71 dark chocolate has the same quantity of flavonoids as that of
196 ml of Tannat wine, which is the daily wine intake recommended to produce health benefits in an
adult of 70 kg body weight.

Long and short of the story, is that both combined taste great and are pretty darn healthy as well. Be sure to keep your chocolate in it's purest form in order to reap the benefits, and it appears that Cabs, Petite Syrahs and Pinot Noirs have the highest concentration of those little health treats as sited from the Alanya Blog on health! Here is a piece of what they have to say:

Lancaster County Chocolate

Can wine really improve our health and increase longevity? Scientists are beginning to say “Yes!” Supposing that the theory is true — which wines give us the most bang for the buck?

Researchers have found that red wines rich in flavonoids are best for our health. Flavonoids are best known for their antioxidant qualities and help the body resist such maladies as allergens, viruses and carcinogens.

Red wines also contain anxioxidants, which help the body resist cancer and cardiovascular disease. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir contain the highest concentrations of antioxidants and flavonoids.

 This weekend at the Harvest Moon Bed and Breakfast and also with our friends at Lancaster County Tours, we explore both and discover why each together compliment one another in ways we never thought imaginable. Hop on board for the tour is surely gonna' be a good one.