What to Drink for Valentine's Day, Part 1

The most romantic of holidays is coming soon. This will be the first of a several part series that will explore some of what our staff considers the best choices for you to enjoy Valentine's Day with that someone special. We'll start, as so many great celebrations do, with the bubbly.

Banfi Rosa Regale

We start in Italy, where "Amore" is a way of life. Banfi is one of the great Italian wine producers, offering reds, whites, and sparkling wines across every palate and price point. We think Rosa Regale is a perfect way to start your romantic Valentine's evening. Even the color of this sparkling wine is part of the appeal.

Rosa Regale is a soft, red sparkling wine, made from the Brachetto grape, all grown in the single "La Rosa" vineyard. This extremely aromatic, complex and historical grape variety grows only in the area of Acqui Terme, in Southern Piedmont (Northwestern Italy). The cold maceration of the grapes, followed by a soft pressing, allows the extraction of the typical intense aromas from the skins and gives to the wine its characteristic light ruby red color. Very pleasantly sweet and extremely elegant.

It's intense and aromatic on the nose, with hints of Bulgarian rose. On the palate, it's soft and elegant with berry flavors and a touch of almond and nutmeg.

Rosa Regale is an ideal aperitif, but also pairs beautifully with fresh strawberries, fruit salads, pastries and chocolate. It's available in the Bottle Club® for only $17.99.

Aubry Brut Champagne

Of course, the French also are experts in matters of the heart. And Champagne is still the reference point for any sparkling wine, so we recommend the Aubry Brut NV Champagne.

Our staff, Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate all agree about the quality and value of Aubry. Our staff: "A brilliant 'value' among Champagne!  Citrus and mineral notes take the lead with green apple and pear flavors in the background. A slight ginger note takes hold on the finish.  A dry, clean style that has a very attractive green apple juiciness that keeps you coming back for more. This puts some of the big house Champagnes to shame!"

Aubry rated 92 points from Wine Advocate. " This contains just one-quarter each Chardonnay and Pinot; 45% Meunier; and a mixture of Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromenteau (a.k.a. Pinot Gris). Nearly half of it is reserve wine, and more than half of that from a solera going back to 1998. If that sounds like a recipe for delivering complexity, you’re right and won’t be disappointed! Bittersweet perfume suggestive of gentian and iris mingles with intimations of fresh lime and sea breeze that in turn manifest themselves on a seductively silken palate in both juicy, vivacious exuberance and mouthwatering saliva-inducement. A scallop-like sweetly saline and mineral amalgam takes hold in a vibrant finish that leaves me caught between the urge to linger and the urge to take the next sip. This exceptional value by appellation standards is almost sure to prove worth following for several years."

And then there was the 90 point review from Wine Spectator: "There's a nice graininess to the texture, making this lively and defining its bread dough, apple and grapefruit flavors. Turns crisp, but stays balanced, with a dry, mouthwatering finish."

Only $35.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Keep returning to this blog, as we will have more posts on this topic in the next week or two.