A Romantic Valentine’s Day – Wine, Roses and Food

Chaco Truffle Box Collection, courtesy Cacao Santa Fe
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Red is the preferred color for roses on Valentine’s Day, and it’s a no-brainer when it comes to wine.  Pink, a variant of red, takes second place on Valentine’s Day and figures prominently in rosés that will add some splash to your day. Both blend perfectly with chocolates and other indulgent treats.

Nyetimber Sparkling Rose, courtesy Magrino

While wine is fine, you might want to consider other spirits, too, to create the mood or perhaps change your location to set the tone.

But, please, save your money on flowers this year – they last a week and they have to be looked at constantly to be appreciated.  Rather, create a shareable, aphrodisiacal gift with these delicious ideas. You can always get red wine online to start the night right and be worry-free.

With Valentine’s Day dominating the calendar, February is either a month of anticipation or dread. This year, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the suffrage movement, women everywhere are foregoing the traditional rituals of romantic love and celebrating Galentine’s Day with their female tribe.  The original Wine of the Month Club®  makes gal pal gift giving simple with its array of membership options plus free shipping for wine newbies and oenophiles. 

A Wine of the Month Club membership is more than just fabulous bottles of wine conveniently arriving at members’ doorsteps, it’s like having your own personal sommelier.  Paul Kalemkiarian, second-generation president and owner of the company, tastes and selects each wine that will be included in the following month’s shipment.   His palate is impeccable having tasted more than 100,000 wines during his lifetime.  

Each shipment contains an informative newsletter describing who made the wine, where the wine is from, what to look for in the wine, how to cellar the wine, and what foods to pair with the wine  (as well as temperature settings for storage and service).   There are no fees to join and members can cancel at any time. 

Recommended Memberships Gifts for Galentine’s Day include:

Under $60 |  2-Bottle Shipments

  • Rosé All Day with the Rosé Series featuring two curated selections of the world’s best rosés 
  • Go green with the Pure Wine Series featuring a pair of wines that are sustainable, organic, biodynamic, and more
  • Do a little California dreamin’ with the Napa Series, with some of the best wines from this prestigious region included

Under $50 |  2-Bottle Shipments

  • The Classic Wine Series is the original club that launched Wine of the Month Club back in 1972
  • One of the most popular clubs is the Vintners Series, with a wide variety of  stellar wines at an affordable price
  • The California Wine Series, featuring red wines only, pays homage to the 1976 Judgment of Paris where California beat the French wines in a blind tasting putting the Golden State on the map as a bona fide wine region
  • Dessert wines from around the world are showcased in the Sweet Series 

In addition, Wine of the Month Club also offers a quarterly subscription of the Mystery Case Club that includes 12 bottles of all white, all red or a mix starting at $99.  And, for the non-committed, there are one-time wine and gift purchases also available.  

Days of Wine and Rosés

You don’t usually equate England with sparkling wine. And that’s what makes Nyetimber, England’s premiere vintage even more appealing. Not only is it unsual, but it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day:  Nyetimber’s classic brut, rosé and demi sec sparkling wines are made by a couple, Cherie Spriggs and husband and winemaker Brad Greatix.  Nyetimber uses one hundred percent estate-grown grapes, including Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. For Valentine’s Day, try the Rosé Multi-Vintage, a charming mix of red fruit and intriguing notes of anise and lavender. 

Palmes dOr Rose, courtesy Magrino

For true rosé decadence, the iconic vintage cuvéePalmes d’Or Rosé 2008  offers a wonderful marriage of texture and flavors. Palmes d’Or Rosé is a rare ‘saignee rosé’ where the red wine juices are bled briefly from the skins in a 100% Pinot Noir blend from two cru vineyards with Grand Cru grapes from Bouzy allied with the intense fruit-laden quality of Riceys.

Bonterra four-pack-Rose

For a rosé that hits all the right notes – it’s delicious, pretty and it even travels well — I suggest buying your sweetie a four-pack of the adorable Bonterra Organic Vineyards’ rosé cans. Bonterra 2018 Rosé celebrates the fresh spirit of the organic viticulture practices that Bonterra adheres to and reflects their unwavering commitment to sustainability and the environment.  

Not a fan of grapes, and if flowers are still what you do on February 14, you can give flowers in the form of wine for Valentine’s Day.  Flowers are a fundamental part of the fermentation process at Free Range Flower Winery, and no, there are no grapes. Try the refreshing RoseHybiscus Wine, made from locally sourced organic rose and hibiscus flowers.

Free Range Flower Winery, Rose Hybiscus flower wine

You can pack these bottles in your suitcase for your next trip. But how about packing for a vacation that’s even more wine-centric. A wine safari in Conejo Valley in Southern California makes the perfect travel gift. With Malibu Wine Safaris, couples can go for a ride in a safari vehicle while making stops along the way to taste local wines and mingle with exotic animals who also happen to be retired movie stars (a giraffe, zebras, llamas, yaks, camels, alpacas, bison and more). The safari takes place on the 1000-acre Saddlerock Ranch and vineyard, where you’ll ride in custom-built Safari vehicles and learn about the history of the landscape and the animals. You can customize the safari to add a special lunch, mimosa brunch and morel.

Malibu Wine Safaris

If Wine Isn’t Your Thing

Skip the wine and head straight for the hard stuff. In Nashville, warm your heart with a “Tennessee Whiskey for Two” package at the Hotel Preston. Instead of touring vineyards, you’ll tour the Tennessee South Distillery and Big Machine Vodka Distillery where you’ll enjoy four tastings and a cocktail. You can also bottle your own spirit of Big Machine Vodka or Single Barrel Clayton James Whiskey Straight from the barrel. Your gift with be your own special limited-edition bottle to take home.  The package is available through the end of March.

Hotel Preston, Whiskey flight

And What Goes Better with Wine or Whiskey than Chocolate and Cheese

Give a taste of history from New Mexico with the Chaco Pottery Shard truffle box collection from Cacao Santa Fe. Forget the basic heart-shaped box of mediocre chocolates this year and trade it in for chocolates with a history and connection to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Inspired by the indigenous cultures of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, where 150 intact black and white pottery vessels were uncovered in Pueblo Bonito, Chaco’s largest ruin, the chocolates are imprinted with the black and white pottery designs. It’s believed that chocolate was traded by these people with the Aztecs in Mexico, based on ingredients found in the pottery discoveries.

Chaco chocolates

Belle Chevre for VDAY

Cheeseheads will love the Cheesy Kiss Gift Box from award-winning goat cheese producer Belle Chevre. The gift box includes all of the elements for a romantic appetizer at home with a Greek Kiss, a disc of handcrafted chèvre wrapped in a beautifully brined Greek grape leaf; a  Savannah Bee honeycomb; and a very on-trend slate board for serving cheese and condiments. 

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