Vino for Valentine's Day - The Romance of Wine

You're at one of the most beautiful wineries in Italy surrounded by the hilltops of Tuscany. In a landscape of ancient castle ruins and rows of lush vines, tasting wine at an 800 year-old country estate in the UNESCO listed Val d’Orcia. You're standing next to wine aging in French oak barrels, all neatly stacked from floor to ceiling filled with aromas of fermenting grapes breathing in the romance of it all!

The romance of wine is undeniable. Wine is repeatedly attached to any meal that signifies a romantic celebration. Sharing a bottle of wine ignites a sense of intimacy and a shared pleasure for the taste, enjoyment and culture surrounding wine. A culture that celebrates tradition and artisan craftsmanship and the sensual beauty of nature. A culture that motivates people to socialize, create and celebrate. And one of the biggest celebrations of love and affection worldwide is Valentine's Day.

Wine first became associated with the feast of Saint Valentine, during the Middle Ages when it was believed that drinking wine on this day would bring good luck and happiness in love. This tradition continued throughout the centuries, and by the 18th century, wine was an essential part of Valentine’s Day celebrations in Europe.

Over the years we've shared a number of menus for Valentine's Day. This year we're listing some of our favorite wines to celebrate Buon San Valentino. All are from memorable times spent here and in Italy that we recall every time we pour a glass.

Brachetto d’Aqui, DOCG

Begin the evening with a delicious bottle of "silky rose colored bubbles". A soft and creamy wine with a low alcoholic content (5.5%) and a hints of roses, wild strawberries and raspberries. Brachetto d’Aqui, DOCG is from the Piedmonte region of Northern Italy in an area known for its effervescence. This frothy, semi-sweet lightly sparkling (frizzante) wine goes well with dark or bittersweet chocolate and is a wonderful dessert wine as well as an aperitivo and if the evening lingers on pairs well at breakfast with French toast.

I first had a glass at an afternoon reception in the Milanese apartment of our friends Laura and Luccio overlooking the Duomo with our Milanese cousins, Roberto and Lidia. Anytime is the right time for Brachetto. Served it chilled in a glass where you can admire its bright red color with a lively foam and sparkling aroma.

Prosecco

Take a note from almost anyone's Valentine playbook and Prosecco will be at the top of the list. Italy’s most famous sparkling wine is no longer overshadowed by its French cousin, champagne, as a celebratory wine. From some of the most romantic regions of Italy, a good prosecco never disappoints. The vineyards of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, north of Venice, the Colli Trevigiani in the hills of eastern Treviso and the Brenta Canal with its Palladian villas all produce world class Prosecco.

Look for a Prosecco closed with a "corda or spago" instead of a capsule for a romantic tradition that is centuries old. The tying of a cord of string around the neck of a Prosecco bottle was first used to prevent the cork from being pushed out by the pressure of the bottle before the use of modern fermentation methods. Today it remains as a symbol of the artisan making of this famous Italian wine; from the vine to the packaging that ends with a handmade string binding the cork to the bottle.

I have enjoyed many glasses of Prosecco both here and in Italy but my Prosecco passion is a

Saint-Germain Spritz, a combination of Saint-Germaine liquer and Prosecco. In Italy this drink is called a Hugo, an aperitivo from Italy's Sud-Tirol and a cousin of the edgy Venetian Aperol Spritz.

Saint-Germain is a French liqueur made with fresh elderflowers hand picked in bloom every spring. The fragrance alone can be intoxicating. How romantic is that!

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

The romance of Tuscany in a glass. Vin Nobile di Montepulciano is a Sangiovese wine produced in or around the town of Montepulciano in southern Tuscany near Siena. Evidence suggests it dates as far back as the Etruscan period, several centuries BC. Not to be confused with Montelpulciano di Abruzzo. A good general rule of thumb to avoid this confusion is if you see Montepulciano at the end of a wine name, it’s the place. In the beginning, it’s the grape.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, one of Italy's classic red wines, has a privileged place in the world of wine. The aging period for a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a minimum of 24 months (36 months for the riserva wines), of which at least 12 months must be spent in large Italian botti (oak barrels). A maroon-red color this wine develops a subtle brick-orange tint over time. With its dark cherry and rich plum aromas, ripe strawberry and cherry flavors and gentle tannins it has been described as "the king of all wines"*

*mentioned in the poem "Bacco in Toscana" (Bacchus in Tuscany) by Francesco Redi

Brunello di Montalcino

Another special wine from Tuscany made to enjoy now and later. A young Brunello is earthy and brash packed with tart fruit and floral flavors - cherries, wild strawberries, blackberries and violets with notes of licorice and espresso. Leaving you with an exciting lip smacking punch in the mouth. An old Brunello is aged and softened by time with sweeter notes of dried figs, candied cherries, dried rose, hazelnuts and chocolate with refined tannins. Brunellos are perfect wines to enjoy now and later after a few years of aging, both for you and the wine. There is an alternative, Rosso di Montalcino that uses the same grape produced and bottled in Montalcino but does not require the same aging (1 year aging before release with no oak aging requirements. Brunello di Montalcino cannot be released until the 5th year after harvest (6th for “Riserva” bottlings); some of the longest aging in Italy.

A wine that is a true memory maker. Have a glass on your first date with some one special. Buy a case on your wedding then return again to share a bottle every anniversary thereafter.

Barbera, Chianti Classico, Chianti Colle Senesi

If pasta is a favorite Valentine meal choose your wine from this group. Barbera is made from the third most planted grape in Italy, popular because of its low tannins and high acidity making it a perfect pairing for tomato sauced pasta. Follow the Trail of the Black Rooster (Gallo Nero) to a bottle of iconic Chianti Classico and for a slightly lighter, less expensive taste of Tuscany or look to the surrounding hills for a Chianti Colle Senesi to experience the medieval romance of Siena.

Teroldego

If you're panning a romantic Valentine Day's dinner in front of the fireplace sharing a charcuterie board or fondue channel the winter with a wine from the Italian Dolomites. Spanning the regions of the Trentino-Alto Adige and the Veneto, Italy's Sud-Tirol is filled with Tyrolean specialties and snow-capped mountains. A mere yodel away from Switzerland with a strong influence in regional Italian, German and Swiss dishes, it is a land of panoramic scenery and exceptional food.

A glass of ruby red Teroldego with notes of cherry preserves and pomegranates and aromas of vanilla and spice makes it the jewel of the South Tyrol. My first glass was in Bolzano with a dinner of pork shanks and wurtzel followed by a visit to the South Tirol Museum of Archeology to see the Iceman.

Sagrantino

The main red grape of Umbria is used to make Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG - “la dolce vita” squared. My high regard for the wine of this grape begins with an afternoon spent at a wine bar in Orvieto with my friends, Luca and Luigi over a bottle and a plate of Umbrian salami basking in the glow of the late autumn sun gazing into a glass of perfection. The faint aroma of violets and blackberries and the dark garnet color swirling in my glass led me to the the spicy, full bodied flavor of the wine for an out of body experience under the Umbrian sun.

Although Orvieto Classico is the recognized wine of the region as for me I prefer Sagrantino, a wine I first learned about from two very special friends.

Malvasia

Grown in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy, the vine was introduced to the area by Venetian merchants who brought cuttings from Greece. My favorite is the sweet Arquatum-Passito di Malvasia that I have had at Ristorante Don Ferdinando in Castell’Arquato with my friend Rita. Malvasia is a dense, velvety aromatic, sweet wine with a golden amber color and intense perfume. It is an ideal wine for fruit tarts and goes well with cheese.

Malvasia is part of a group of wines known as meditation wines (vino meditazione). Very rich, complex often sweet wines which are not meant to be enjoyed with food but are by themselves at their best. On a long winter evening "sip by sip by the fire" wines that require time and encourage introspection, to be savored slowly with attention. Image the possibilities for this wine on Valentine's Day.

Vin Santo

Wine of the Saints. Grapes used to make this wine are held in baskets then strung together on cane stands where they are dried for several months in the vinsantaie (a large ventilated room) then fermented and matured for over 4 years in caratelli (small chestnut barrels). The yield is very low, from 1/4 to 1/5 the original weight of the grapes. Although I have enjoyed many a glass of Vin Santo both in Italy and at home I always look forward to tasting the Vin Santo from Tenuta di Capezzana in Carmignano northwest of Florence. Their Vin Santo and award wining wine and olive oil is highly sought after and our signature oil at CosituttiMarketPlace.

Vin Santo is an amber colored sweet dessert wine with a unique taste and velvety texture that is meant for sipping at the end of a meal with cantucci. A marriage of form and function, the dry, crunchy texture and narrow shape of this biscotti from the region are made for dipping and soaking up the flavors of the wine. A perfect ending to a Valentine's Day dinner.

SALUTE, CIN CIN, CHEERS!

Happy Valentine's Day