Choosing a wine for Valentine's Day (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Choosing a wine for Valentine's Day

4:16pm Monday 7th March 2011 in Tipping's Tipples By Mike Tipping

I’ve been charged with finding a clutch of wines suitable for Valentine’s day but there is an inherent problem with such a task.

Just what does make the perfect wine for a love-smitten couple?

Wines deemed most suitable for lovers to share on February 14 are generally, pink, fizzy or both. I don’t understand why this is. Blokes don’t buy their girlfriend pink flowers in the main, they opt for red.

Red is a good choice, some believe it to be the colour of love and if it is not the colour of love, it certainly suggests passion.

With this in mind, should I be suggesting red wines for Valentine’s day? This would suit Mrs Tipping, a red-only girl, but conversely she would rather I buy her pink roses, her favourite flowers.

And what about fizz? For every wine drinker I talk to, there are as many would rather not have bubbles as would.

So what should I suggest as suitable tipples for Valentine’s lovers? It just doesn’t seem appropriate recommending Bruce’s The Dog’s Doo Dahs Barossa Shiraz. Although I suppose that would be okay if your idea of romantic mood music is Motorhead.

Therefore I’ve chosen to go with the default option, three wines which are either fizzy, pink or both.

With it’s up-front strawberry and raspberry fruit, Codorniu Pinot Noir Cava Rosé fits the bill. Fairly rich, with a fine stream of bubbles and long flavours, it isn’t earth-shatteringly exciting but it is at least as good, and a damn sight cheaper, than most non-vintage pink Champagne.

If you are taking the non-fizzy option, Chilean outfit Montes produce a good rosé. Montes Cherub Rosé of Syrah 2009, made with fruit from the Colchagua valley, pitches it just right as an aperitif. Crisp but not too dry, it’s in the modern, fuller style, with strawberry aromas, summer fruit flavours, spice and rose petals.

Or for something completely different, try Cavallino Brachetto d’Acqui Il Cascinone 2009. This is a light, sweet, effervescent red from the Piemonte region of Italy. It’s great stuff, with juicy strawberry flavours, flowers and a lift of acidity which counterbalances the sweetness. Make sure you chill this wine for an hour or so before drinking. And at only five per cent alcohol, you can have more than one glass.

Codorniu Pinot Noir Cava Rosé, £7.99 at Oddbins and Majestic 16/20.

Montes Cherub Rosé of Syrah 2009, £7.71 at Derventio in Malton 17/20.

Cavallino Brachetto d’Acqui Il Cascinone 2009, £10.99 from Virgin Wines 18/20.