A New Zealand Valentine Consequently Valentine's Day is now most popular with the middle to younger generation and is definitely regarded as a day for lovers and for secret admirers to express their feelings to the person of their desire. Cards, chocolates and flowers are the most popular Valentine's Day gifts, red roses of course meaning love. I remember in the 1980's when one of the young men who worked in the office had a crush on one of the girls. He wanted to give her a rose, but was so shy he ended up buying a single red rose for all the girls in the office. That would cost a fortune these days. I'm in the middle generation and I like to express my feelings for my Valentine by sharing a bottle of wine over a romantic dinner. Champagne is the possibly the most romantic wine to drink on Valentine's Day. Watch your partner's eyes light up as you produce the bottle. Experience the sensual effect the ritual of opening can have - the gentle easing of the cork until the hallmark popping sound lets the gasses escape. The pouring of the wine and the rush of bubbles producing a heady froth, only to wane again as the glass begs for a little more. That first sip and the surge of blood as the alcohol hits the system. The warming of the mouth. The elegant creamy, toasty, rich flavours. The appreciative "oohs" and "aahs". The thank you kiss. The promise of more things to come. Yes, Champagne is worth the extra dollars to impress your loved one.
A special Valentine's gift of a bottle of the Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque together with the exquisite Belle Epoque glasses with their flush of pink on the white flowers will remind you of the special evening well into the future. The most passionate red wine has to be Pinot Noir. Great pinot noir inspires passion with its sensuous taste, layers of flavours and it seductive silky velvety texture. And the Pinot Noir with the most romantic name has to be from Burgundy, the Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses. "Les Amoureuses" means "the lovers" and tasting this wine can make people, such as Jancis Robinson the world's greatest wine writer, fall in love. Although Jancis didn't fall in love with the rich boyfriend who took her out to dinner and bought her a bottle of a 1959 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses. She instead fell in love with Burgundy and Pinot Noir. To finish the evening, a sweet wine will never go amiss and perhaps the one to most impress your wine loving Valentine, if you can afford it, would be a bottle of a Sauternes. Chateau d'Yquem is definitely the ultimate but there are many New World alternatives at a tenth of the price. What ever you share with your Valentine, choose a special wine to make it a night to remember. And while Valentine's Day is a good excuse to show your affections, it is not necessarily the only day of the year to share good wine, good food and good company. Cheers, Sue Courtney Visit Sue's Wine of the Week Website
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For Valentine's Day I cannot imagine a better Champagne than the Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque . In its distinctive flower bottle with the white anemones, this is very much a romantic wine on looks alone. According to Champagne expert, Don Hewitson in his book "The Glory of Champagne", the flower design was created in 1902 by glass-worker, Emile Gallé and although a success, was soon forgotten. A few bottles were found in 1964 and the design was recreated but was limited in edition at that time. By 1985 600,000 bottles were produced and sold in a year. Now it is one of the world's great marketing success stories.