I make several Valentine’s Day wine suggestions in this week’s Creators Syndicate Wine Talk column. I have focused on wines that I believe fit the occasion, and in a broad range of prices. You might note that I have eschewed high-end Champagne.
You don’t need me to explain a bottle of Dom will impress your date. Besides, I am well aware that profligate spending on wine is a big no-no in this economy.
From my column:
These are the times that try men’s souls. Truly, for Valentine’s Day is upon us and there is a general call to arms. Only a fool — or a newbie in the ways of love — would show up without a bottle of something!
Ah, but what something? That is the question. There are only two good options, which I will spell out for the Budweiser crowd. One is something bubbly, and it better not be beer. The other is something sweet, all the more impressive if accompanied by a box of chocolates.
That’s the easy part. Making sense of the vast array of sparkling and sweet wines available at the corner wine shop is another matter. You get to pick your own poison, but you shouldn’t be handed a blindfold and a cigarette and shoved down the Champagne aisle on your own. Any mistakes you make are likely to be very expensive!
No need for that; sparkling wines come in a range of styles and prices. A word of caution on the bubbly, however, since a number of voices will advocate serving Champagne with chocolate. This is seldom a glorious match, for it is nearly impossible to find a Champagne or sparkling wine that is sweet enough to cope with the intensity of a decadent chocolate truffle.
That’s when a truly sweet wine, such as Port, might come in handy. There are some fairly sweet sparkling styles, such as Italy’s famed Asti Spumante or demi-sec Champagnges from France, but these tend to work better with cookies and pastries than rich chocolates, which overwhelm most sparkling wines. The exception might be Brachetto d’Acqui from northern Italy’s Piedmont region.
Without further ado, my Valentine’s Day wine suggestions. You need not settle for these alone. A good wine merchant who might not have the specific wine recommended would likely be able to produce a comparable substitute, and in matters of love, a spirit of adventure can often turn to your advantage.
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