Pairing Valentines and Wines

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: Winter 2022

As yet another holiday approaches – Valentine’s Day this time – thoughts again turn to wine.  Two categories come to mind – dry sparkling (because, of course, it’s celebratory) and dessert wines (sweets for your sweetheart).  

It may be a cliché, but rose champagne never goes unappreciated on Valentine’s Day, and hey, if ever there was an occasion to splurge on love, then Valentine’s the day, right? 

And these two bottles of Rose Champagne– more than just pretty in pink though they are that too – are exceptional. With notes of smoky red berry fruit and warm biscuit, the iconic, full-bodied Laurent-Perrier Brut Rose NV is a heady and sophisticated gastronomic rose that is certain to seduce.  

As giving and demonstrative as an attentive lover is the Billecart Salmon Brut Rose.  Pillowy and elegant with racy acids and notions of peach dried flowers and a generous core of fruit, it’s a delightful and entrancing charmer.

As inevitable as long stem roses and lingerie, the Valentine’s day quandary about what wine goes best with chocolate for the occasion often comes up.  Though I remain not personally much interested in the combination – a sort of guilty pleasure – I am happy to resolve the dilemma.    

There are, in fact, some excellent answers.  Most experts agree that the resolution hinges not merely on which wine but also on which chocolate you plan to eat.  The mild sweetness of milk chocolate is more versatile than the darker chocolates, which have a distinct bitterness that can clash with wines not equipped to handle it.  That being the case, fortified wines are the best choices – specifically Madeira and Port.  As to Madeira, the sweetest Madeira’s – labeled “malmsey” are best.  Blandy’s 5-year Malmsey is an excellent entry-level choice, or even better, their 15-year Madeira which has a bright, refreshing flavor that is superb with chocolate.  As to Port, tawny ports with their mellowed nuttiness from long barrel aging are lively enough to match with dark chocolates – try those from reliable labels Taylor, Sandeman, and Cockburn. A decent alternative is a young ruby port like Graham’s Six Grapes. One sensational unfortified wine choice is a Tokai Aszu from Hungary – made with grapes that have been inflicted with noble rot. – they are both overtly sweet and wonderfully acidic.

Then again, nothing says I love you quite like a bottle of romantically named wine. Set the mood with a bottle of the classic and understated Christophe Pacalet Saint-Amour Beaujolais, or demonstrate your passion for your love with a left bank Bordeaux, Chateau La Tour Carnet Medoc Passion.  The heart-adorned, lip-smacking bottle of the delectable Carignan-dominant red blend from Broc Cellars labelled Love Red is perfect for a romantic evening and just might enchant your lover.