Will you be my Valent(w)ine?
Stop whining and start wine-ing: Vol. 3
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and whether or not you’re sharing this year’s Feb. 14 with someone—and yes, your cat counts, no matter what anyone says—I think we can all agree that no Valentine’s Day is complete without a great glass of wine.
No, not that one… not that one either, well it seems you’re not quite sure! No need to whine though, I’ve lined up some excellent wines for you to go on a blind date with.
Here are the suitors:
Love at First Sip: Beringer Main & Vine White Zinfandel
$10.95 at the SAQ
This bottle of White Zinfandel may just be the new love of your life! The result of a happy accident in the 1970s in California, White Zinfandel is a relatively new wine (in wine years, at least). It is a semi-sweet wine with notes of strawberries, honey, and wonderful florals on the nose. So, skip the flowers and strawberries this Valentine’s Day and go straight for this instead—alone, with your pals, or anyone special in your life!
A Whirlwind Romance: Segura Viudas Reserva Cava Brut
$14.75 at the SAQ
Obviously, a Valentine’s Day wine list wouldn’t be complete without some bubbles on the menu, and this Cava delivers plenty of those! It has lemony notes, along with some surprisingly strong floral and fruity flavours, and is a really great way to say: “Hey, I like you a lot, but maybe not as much as I like this drink.”
Just Haven’t Drank You Yet: The Dreaming Tree Crush
$18.75 at the SAQ
When you develop a new crush, the possibilities seem endless. The same is also true when you’re crushing on this amazing Californian red! It pairs well with nearly anything, probably because it has got everything you could ever want in a red wine: raspberry, cherry, oak—which really just means vanilla and spice adjacent flavours—and jammy blackberries and plums. This may just be the wine of your dreams.
Read more: It’s the most wine-derful time of the year!
The Long Time Partner: Michael David Sixth Sense Lodi
$23.55 at the SAQ
If you want a wine that’s reliable and will never break your heart, one of my all-time favourite wines, Michael David’s Sixth Sense can promise you just that. It’s a Syrah from California, so it has the typical notes of dark fruit like blackberry and plum, but it also has wonderful spicy flavours and strong vanilla notes, with a good finish of smoke and leather. Anytime I’m struggling to pick a wine, I always fall back on this, and it’s always there to catch me, just the way a good partner should.
The One Night Stand: Cruz Special Reserve
$17.85 at the SAQ
You’re tired of the same old wines, and you’re ready to try something new? How about trying some port and chocolate? You’ll be sure to impress anyone with this combination, even if it’s just you and your roommate having a Pal-entines dinner! Port is a fortified wine, which means that the vineyard has added an extra alcohol to the wine, usually a natural grape spirit, in order to make it stronger and sweeter. This port has flavours of caramel, dried fruits like figs and raisins, and some great nutty notes like almond. All of that makes for a drink that goes perfect with that box of chocolates your secret admirer bought you, even if that secret admirer is you!
So, what do you say? Will you be m(w)ine?
