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Wine for a Valentine One good choice is Joseph Pepi's Sangiovese called "Two Hearts Canopy." Although it's actually named not for romance but because of the technical name for the way the grapevines are pruned, the name alone would make a bottle of this California red wine a natural for a Valentine basket. Another wine name that speaks of love is "Saint-Amour," the northernmost of the Beaujolais villages that's permitted to use the village name on the label. Georges Duboeuf makes a widely available Saint-Amour that enhances the romance with an attractive picture of flowers. Sticking with the Beaujolais theme, consider gifting your true love with a bottle of Fleurie, another village of the region with a name that's as appropriate as, well, flowers. I invited participants in our Wine Lovers' Discussion Group to suggest more wine names related to love, romance and the gifts that lovers bring, and we came up with quite a list. From the wines above and the list below, you should be able to find something that's just right for your Valentine!
Many thanks to John Trombley, Tom Hill, Sue Courtney, Bob Ross, Richard Morgan, Graeme Gee and Robert Noecker for contributing to this list. As for me, I'll be popping the cork on some kind of bubbly with my sweetheart on Valentine's Day. To my mind, there's no more romantic wine than Champagne. How about you? Do you have a Valentine's favorite, or do you prefer simply to forget the names and pictures and go with wine that's just plain good? If you would like to comment, write me by E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com or join an active online discussion on this topic on our Wine Lovers' Discussion Group, http://www.wineloverspage.com/cgi-bin/sb/index.cgi?fn=1. I regret that the growing circulation of the "Wine Advisor" makes it difficult for me to reply individually to every note, and my travels this month will also limit my ability to respond; but I'll answer as many as I can; and please be assured that all your input helps me do a better job of writing about wine. We hope you'll invite your wine-loving friends to register for their own free weekly copy at http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor.
Good value from South Africa 
Saxenburg 1997 Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon ($12.99)Dark garnet in color, almost opaque, this appealing wine breathes earthy scents of plums and leather. Ripe and luscious, black-cherry fruit mingles with the pleasant earthiness that I find typical of South African reds. Good value. (Jan. 29, 2001)
FOOD MATCH: Makes a good match with a simple dinner of diced beef, peas and carrots in a simple Madeira sauce over wide pappardelle pasta.
Winetasting.com Winetasting.com is an online cooperative of California’s leading wineries selling directly to wine lovers. This gives customers like you unique access to limited-release wines not available outside the tasting room. For full information, visit http://www.Winetasting.com/hub/landing.asp?wlpgid=WLPG001LA. I have known these folks for a long time and can confidently recommend them.
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If you'd like to talk about wine online with fellow wine enthusiasts around the world, we'd be delighted to have you join the interactive, international forums in our Wine Lovers' Discussion Group. Vol. 3, No. 4, Feb. 12, 2001
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