At a loss for Valentine’s romance? Try wine
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In this global age of brash commercialism, anyone looking to make his or her Valentine’s Day unique and meaningful faces quite a challenge. On a day where romance is expected and not especially spontaneous or natural, how is it possible to plan for an evening where the most inspirational, loving and passionate emotions can be naturally manifested? My solution is wine, mankind’s most noble tool of liquid seduction.
Wine has long been an aphrodisiac. In ancient times Marc Anthony hand fed the Egyptian Empress Cleopatra while serving her honey-flavored wine to stimulate her amorous affections. Napoleon was said to serve Josephine his favorite Chambertin Burgundy red wines whenever they had an argument to get back in her good graces. Churchill did the same with his wife, Clementine, though contemporary observers claim she would at best have a few sips and the great statesman would finish the bottle.
Now that we’ve established the historical role of wine and romance, we need to choose the best wines for an amorous Valentine’s meal. A great place to start is with the bubbles of history’s most famous lovers, Romeo and Juliet.
Prosecco DOC is a wine region and a style of wine that comes from the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions of northern Italy. Most pertinent for Valentine’s Day, the region of Prosecco is quite close to Romeo and Juliet’s hometown of Verona. If Romeo and Juliet were with us today, they probably would be drinking Prosecco on Valentine’s Day.
The primary Prosecco grape that must comprise at least 85 percent of the blend is Glera, and unlike Champagne and other traditional method sparklers where the second fermentation is done in the bottle, Prosecco wines are made using the Charmat method.
This is a quicker and easier method to put bubbles into wines and the result is a remarkably fruity and friendly sparkling wine with a charmingly outgoing and exuberant character.
For something a little more serious and complex, try a Prosecco DOCG wine from the premium elevated regions of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.
The crisp and clean character of Prosecco wines makes them perfect as an aperitif and also lovely with a wide variety of foods. While Prosecco not surprisingly matches exceedingly well with many Italian dishes, my particular passion is pairing these bubbling beauties with Chinese cuisine.
The unpretentious and open character of these wines make them lovely companions to a wide range of Chinese delights, from cold appetizers and lighter vegetable dishes to more hearty seafood and white meat dishes.
While I prefer enjoying my Prosecco in its singular purity, many people like to add fruit juice or other ingredients to make cocktail combinations. One example is the famous Venetian cocktail Bellini that comprises Prosecco and fresh peach juice.
First made at Harry’s Bar in Venice in the 1920s, trying this legendary cocktail is a pleasant experience while visiting Venice. Some recommended Prosecco producers with wines easy to find in Shanghai are La Tordera, Tenuta S. Anna, Carpene Malvoti, Villa Pasini, Zonin and Bisol.
Saint-Amour
North of Lyon in eastern France, the wine region of Beaujolais overlaps the southern areas of Burgundy and boarders the Rhône region to the south. Picturesque vineyards of Gamay red wine grapes line the Saône River, the most prized having granite soil with good sun exposure on rolling hills.
These superior vineyards are used to make Beaujolais Crus. There are 10 Cru villages with the northernmost Cru wine region romantically named Saint-Amour, or saint of love. Saint-Amour is also one of the smallest Cru wine areas.
Make no mistake, top Beaujolais Cru wines like Saint-Amour are not your run-of-the-mill Beaujolais or Beaujolais nouveau fruit quenchers. These are seriously good wines. Top Saint-Amour wines feature elegant fruit and floral qualities with a soft mouth-feel and often exhibit enticing flavors of red fruit, ripe peach and spice. Their fruitiness, soft tannins and good freshness also make them quite food-friendly.
Whether you and your lover are savoring a romantic French meal or a refined Chinese dinner with a variety of dishes, Saint-Amour will be a loving companion to your meal. The heart on the label is also sure to add to the ambiance. Some of the best Saint-Amour producers are Domaine des Billards, Mommessin, Joseph Drouhin and Trenel Fils.
Should you and your lover prefer a New World wine for your Valentine’s dinner, then Napa Valley offers an ideal solution.
Seduction is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc that offers a whole lot more than a cute name. Made by O’Brien Estates, this dark ruby-purple wine offers scents and flavors of ripe black and red fruits with titillating spices and a touch of chocolate with a long, smoothly tannic finish.
If your Valentine’s fare this year will include large cuts of red meat, Seduction is a great partner. Not only will this aptly named red pair nicely with your meal, but should you suddenly be at a loss for words then all you need to do is look at the back of the bottle where you’ll find romantic phrases like “Lovers are the winds of passion — fill your sails” and inspirational words. The bottle also comes wrapped in a translucent red bag.
So whether your liquid romance embellisher of choice this Valentine’s Day is a palate-tickling Prosecco or smooth and fruity Saint-Amour or weighty Seduction, don’t forget the generously sized crystal glasses, slow music and soft lighting.
Region & Style at a glance
Varieties:
Glera is the main grape used to make Prosecco sparkling wines; it must comprise at least 85 percent of the blend.
Key Term:
Charmat Method — This is how Prosecco wines get their bubbles. It’s a process where the second fermentation takes place in a single autoclave tank.
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