Wine : An Elixir as powerful as Cupid’s Arrow?
Bring out your red sweaters, box of chocolates, and everything heart shaped, because its Valentine’s Day. While a day for love, this day also means that every wine nerd (like me) is asked to write something akin to, “Here are the Top 5 wines to make any Valentine’s Day special!” or “The best wine and dessert pairings to share with your sweetheart.” These articles are a dime a dozen. Don’t believe me? Head on over to Google and do a search with any combination of wine and Valentine’s Day. But alas, I’m up for the challenge. Valentine’s Day. Bring it on.
Top 5 Valentine’s Day wines
(1) Chateau Calon-Segur from Bordeaux’s Saint-Estèphe region : How can you go wrong when the label has a heart outline on it? Not to mention the quality of the wine inside the bottle.
(2) Terra Valentine Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon : This is a ‘duh’ moment, but if you need more, just know that the wine is great with a very limited production giving it a special touch.
(3) a Ruby port or LBV port: Oft cited as the ‘go-to’ pairing for chocolates, so make sure you grab a box of dark chocolates to go with this one.
(4) a bottle of quality Rosé Champagne : Champagne is at the top for any celebrations so why not celebrate the one you love with pink colored bubbles. Seek out Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé or Bollinger Rosé Brut if you are going this route and you won’t be disappointed
(5) Muscadet from France’s Loire Valley : While not in the traditional ‘Valentine’s Day Top 5’ it pairs marvelously with oysters, an oft-discussed but nonetheless scientifically disproved aphrodisiac.
In my opinion, wine and Valentine’s Day deserve better than this. For many of us, wine is a part of our daily lives. It’s what we use to ring in a new year, we raise our glasses of wine during toasts, and we store wine for years on end until the perfect moment arises. Wine accompanies and enriches many of life’s moments, especially those shared with our sweetheart. So this Valentine’s Day, skip all the repetitive wine advice and choose a wine you love to make some memories with that special person in your life.
