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Valentine’s Day Wines
It is Valentine’s Day next week and I want to make sure that you are armed with the best suggestions for wines to share with your lover, friends or simply to enjoy on your own.
Among the most popular and common suggestions is a wine from the Beaujolais Cru of St. Amour. Of course the word amour means love in French, but the name of this cru comes from a Christian soldier who founded a monastery on a summit overlooking the Saône valley.
St. Amour is the most northerly of the 10 Crus of Beaujolais, bordering the Mâcon region of Burgundy. Made from 100 per cent gamay noir, at its best, St. Amour is an intensely red-fruited wine, with bright acid and soft velvety tannins.
The commune itself is very much about romance, with its statue of the legendary Saint- Amour near the church, a town hall that is the venue for many weddings.
If price is no object, there is no better choice than Burgundy’s Chambolle Musisgny, Les Amoureuses, which translates to The Lovers. Made from 100 per cent pinot noir, Les Amoureuses is the most famous and highly respected of the 24 Premier Cru climats in Chambolle-Musigny and some suggest that it is on par with the Grand Crus of the village.
If you fancy something Italian, there are no better wines than those from the region of Valpolicella, which lies just north of the city of Verona, or as I like to say, the city of lovers.
Verona is the city in which Shakespeare based his famous romantic play Romeo and Juliet. There is no doubt in my mind that characters in the play drank the wines from the area. In Valpolicella you will find four distinct wines: Valpolicella, Rippiso, Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto della Valpolicella, a sweet red wine. These wines are blends with corvina getting top billing while rondinella and molinara play supporting roles.
Staying in the north east of Italy in the Veneto region, if you prefer something white, there are no better wines than those from Soave, which is a region just to the east of Verona. Here the garganega grape is cultivated on volcanic soils to produce expressive and enticing aromatic wines.
Of course the best default wine for any occasion, with Valentines’ Day being no exception is Champagne. And I’m talking the good stuff. Whomever you’re sharing it with is worth it right?
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.
Some really great suggestions here!
If anyone is interested in trying some local Ontario VQA alternatives this V-Day, there are lots of producers to check out that specialize in the styles noted above!
-Prince Edward County and Niagara have some really exceptional examples of Gamay and Pinot Noir
-There is a lot of Italian influence in Niagara and Lake Erie North Shore where ripasso and appassimento style wines are being produced
-Of course Icewine is our specialty for dessert!
-If you prefer white and like the noted Soave above, try an unoaked Chardonnay or a Pinot Gris (emphasis on the Gris not Grigio).
Thanks for sharing!