Valentines coming up, which wine we thinking of opening?!

... the overhyped Valentine's holiday (basically made up by greeting card companies).

Not so. Read one version of the Valentine's Day history here:
http://www.history.com/content/valentin ... tine-s-day

"Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
......

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival.
......

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America."

[Jenise]

I am thinking of cracking open an '05 Burgundy, Simom Bize, Savigny, "aux Vergelesses," in half-bottle. I am curious how they are faring. (Have others drunk any '05 recently?) If partner was not down with the flu, something older and larger would have been in order, though I hear and sympathize with everyone on the overhyped Valentine's holiday (basically made up by greeting card companies). Still, any excuse for opening something special serves.

Joshua, can't shed any light on the wine, but I see you're new and wanted to say welcome!

[James Roscoe]

Lobster tonight so I am thinking a Muscadet or a Chablis.

We ended up with a viognior. It was not a bad match

So VD is the new shorthand for Valentine's Day! Wow! Better be careful!
My dear wife had rotator cuff surgery yesterday, and is on pain meds, so the drinking will be pretty scant this season. But I'll raise a glass on her behalf nonetheless, probably a Gamay of some sort.

Hope your wife has a speedy recovery, Steve. My first year at UGA, we had a dorm VD party to honor the day of romance. I ended up getting so sloshed on vodka & OJ that I threw up on my girlfriend, and a friend half my size had to help me up four flights of stairs to my room. Only time in my life I got sick from drinking. Didn't catch any STDs though, so I guess one could call it an anti-VD party! I still had a girlfriend the next day, too.

Well, True Love wasn't up to going out, so at her request we ordered a pizza and popped a Las Rocas Garnacha with it. Not bad at all.

No cards this year - generally find the commercialism too crass.

We collected stuff for a picnic, but changed plans to a shorter (local) walk and had the picnic at home (too cold anyway I suppose). Wine was a bottle of Bisol Prosecco which was fair to middling.

TBoTO forgot to get a card for me a couple of years ago, and ended up making a card herself - which was brilliant.
A friend's teenage son made his girlfriend some truffles this year

If we're to celebrate the event, I always feel the gift of one's time, thought & energy is better appreciated than anything the shops can deliver.

regards

Ian

"Joshua, can't shed any light on the wine, but I see you're new and wanted to say welcome!"

Thanks for the welcome, Jenise,

And thanks to Neal, too, for the info. Source? (Hallmark?)
Just kidding.

Best,
Josh

Earlier in this thread it was mentioned that dealing with the crush at restaurants on V-Day can be vexing at best. So when, a few years ago, the golf club started a special dinner on this day, we jumped at the offer. Over the years, friends have joined us. Last night we numbered eight.

Appetizer Vanilla smoked tuna pastrami, shaved parmigiano-reggiano, dijon aioli, pickled red onions, micro-greens, rye toast points

Salad Baby spinach, radicchio, baby arugula, julienned pears, walnuts, gorgonzola, roasted shallots, warm applewood smoked bacon vinaigrette

Entree Espresso roasted tenderloin and pan-seared divers scallops, truffled tomato confit, potato galette, blackberry demi-glace

Dessert Chocolate basil creme brulee with chocolate dipped strawberry

As one of the wives opined, its nice to not have to find a restaurant and its also nice not worrying about what menu item to order.

The wines we had were different. I would note that the wine demand and knowledge at the club is not great but is growing thanks to a food and beverage manager who understands that he has to slowly raise the bar to be effective. For a white, we had the NV Biltmore Estate white. This wine has some residual sugar which worked well with the dijon aioli in the app and the gorgonzola in the salad. For a red, we had a 2004 Hobler Pinot Noir from Austria. This wine had a nice bit of acidity in it that worked very well with the app, salad, and entree.

A note here too.....the combination of chocolate and basil in the creme brulee was outstanding. Would not have guessed that at all.

And at the end of the night, there was a single rose for each of the ladies.

All in all, a fun evening!

Hi Bob,

We actually did our Valentine's Day Dinner tonight. We had an excellent warm beet salad, and roast beef with potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots (yes we were heavy on the root vegetables). I paired the beet salad and roast beef with a Joseph Drouhin 2005 Savigny les Beaune that I decanted about 30 minutes before dinner. It was a very nice match, especially with the warm beet salad, which seemed to calm the acid and bring out the fruit in the wine. Nice color match too.

Hi Bob,

We actually did our Valentine's Day Dinner tonight. We had an excellent warm beet salad, and roast beef with potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots (yes we were heavy on the root vegetables).

Sounds mighty good, except for the rutabaga - I'd pair that with the compost heap prior to cooking. (Robin, where's the 'retch' emote?)

There was a time when you were pretty much stuck with root vegetables in the winter. Always a good pairing with a roast.

There was a time when you were pretty much stuck with root vegetables in the winter. Always a good pairing with a roast.

Doesn't mean you have to like 'em all.

[James Roscoe]

There was a time when you were pretty much stuck with root vegetables in the winter. Always a good pairing with a roast.

Doesn't mean you have to like 'em all.

But parsnips, carrots, and potatoes around a leg of lamb are beautiful things, especially if one has a nice red wine to pair with them.

There was a time when you were pretty much stuck with root vegetables in the winter. Always a good pairing with a roast.

Doesn't mean you have to like 'em all.

But parsnips, carrots, and potatoes around a leg of lamb are beautiful things, especially if one has a nice red wine to pair with them.

As long as no turnips or rutabagas in the mix! Actually I don't care for parsnips either. My Mom cooked them once, peeled cut into pieces and boiled like carrots. Something about the sweetness and the texture seriously invoked my gag reflex, and I have never had the slightest desire to eat them again. I was a teen at the time.

Sounds mighty good, except for the rutabaga - I'd pair that with the compost heap prior to cooking. (Robin, where's the 'retch' emote?)

Hi Robert,

I agree that rutabaga is not my favorite vegetable either but I like it better than cooked carrots :-<. I love beets though and this beet salad is very wine friendly, something that is unusual in salads. I will post the recipe on the Food lovers forum. My wife is a great cook and a dietitian who just can't get enough vegetables. Me, I am a fruit whore and beets are more like fruit to me.

Lobster tonight so I am thinking a Muscadet or a Chablis.

We ended up with a viognior. It was not a bad match

That is an interesting match. We may try it sometime. Our go to wine with lobster for several years has been a Kiwi SB.

I was pretty preoccupied trying to keep my Valentine "ahead of the pain," so I drank what was open, among which was a Cab Franc/Gamay blend I made for a colleague, that we'd just bottled two days before. I have to say it went down easy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I was pretty preoccupied trying to keep my Valentine "ahead of the pain," so I drank what was open, among which was a Cab Franc/Gamay blend I made for a colleague, that we'd just bottled two days before. I have to say it went down easy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Sorry to hear about Cornelia's problems, Steve, and I certainly hope that it doesn't foreshorten her promising pitching career I'm glad that you were able to have something tasty amidst the caregiving.

Mark Lipton

[James Roscoe]

Mark, you missed the real eye=opener of Steve's post. He has some tasty Cab Franc-Gamay blend lying around that we need to get our greedy hands on! I have to say that sounds G-D delicious!

...so I drank what was open, among which was a Cab Franc/Gamay blend I made for a colleague...

Interesting. In '04, I made both varieties, buying must from a presshouse in Ontario. However, after pressing, I ended up with an extra half carboy of each, so I blended them in a single carboy and also found the blend to be quite nice.

[Jenise]

My Mom cooked them once, peeled cut into pieces and boiled like carrots. Something about the sweetness and the texture seriously invoked my gag reflex, and I have never had the slightest desire to eat them again. I was a teen at the time.

So your mom cooked them badly and you're going to blame the poor victim vegetable for the rest of your life? (Carrots shouldn't be cooked that way, either.)