Valentine's Day Wines

Whether you are celebrating with friends, or a significant other, or it's just a normal night with food and wine...happy Valentine's day!

Dinner pairings

White- if you're looking for a versatile pairing, Albarino is a white that will go with many different dishes, and retain its character throughout dinner. Since it is a medium bodied white with acidity, it will pair very nicely with seafood dishes, as well as some soft cheeses. Albarino comes from a region in Galicia, Spain, known as Rias Baixas, and it is also the main grape in Vino Verde, from neighboring Portugal.

Riesling is also an option, but stay away from the sweet ones, as well as an off-dry Vouvray, a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley. Another good choice is a Gewürztraminer and I would recommend one from Alsace!

Rose- I know I've said this before, but I will stick to it. Rose should be enjoyed year round, and they generally pair very well with most dishes. Roses have characteristics of white wines but many can also stand up well to some red meat dishes, too.

Red- Gamay, from the Beaujolais region of France, south of Burgundy. One of my favorite grapes, wines from this region are usually low in tannin, light to medium bodied and can have notes of cherry and cranberry and violet.

Most wine lovers are familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau, but I would go more for the Beaujolais Villages or Beaujolais Supérieur wines. There are 10 Beaujolais Cru's producing wine. Wine Folly has some great info on these wines.

A medium-bodied to heavier red I would recommend would be Zinfandel. This wine will pair nicely with pork, or gamey meats, or anything with a heavier sauce.

Sparkling- You can't go wrong with Champagnes or sparkling wines. See my previous post for all of the reasons.

Dessert pairings

I have to be honest, I have never been much of a dessert wine drinker. However, I had an interesting experience recently that changed my mind.

Based on a tip I heard, I tried a little experiment. I took a bite of my dessert, a dark chocolate covered pretzel, then took a sip of the dessert wine, a Zinfandel, and suddenly the wine, which had been way too sweet for my taste by itself, did not taste as sweet. It was an excellent pairing.

I am not here to force you to try sweet wines if you hate them, but, minus a few exceptions, I've found that dry wines do not go well with dessert.

One stop dessert wine recommendation- A Demi-Sec Champagne or sparkling wine. Demi-Sec translates from French as "half dry." These have enough sugar, also known as "dosage" to pair well with dessert. On the sweetness scale, Demi-Sec is one of the sweetest.

I have also heard that Syrah pairs well with chocolate cake, but I have not tested this myself. 

Info gathered from Wine Folly, Wine for Normal People, Winerist and myself! Cheers and happy Valentine's Day!