Safe-bet wines for Valentine’s Day

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Not a week goes by without someone asking what my favourite wine is, but the question pops up more regularly as various holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day approach.

Understandably, my personal taste has changed over the course of writing about wine for the past 24 years. Twenty years ago, I sought out zinfandels from Amador and Sonoma counties in California and rieslings from the Mosel in Germany. Today, they don’t factor into my buying habits, while other styles have captured my imagination. Some favourite producers from Australia and South Africa continue to attract my attention with consistently enjoyable wines that offer excitement and familiarity year after year.

To my taste, Penfolds, Torbreck and Yalumba are consistently notable brands from Australia, while Alheit, Boekenhoutskloof, and Mullineux are some top South African producers whose wines turn up in limited quantities in Canada.

Whether they are safe bets for your Valentine, however, depends. Their tastes might be different. If you’re on the hunt for distinctive wines to share on Valentine’s Day or other upcoming social engagements, I would suggest the following:

Canadian sparkling wine: The overall quality continues to soar as producers in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia refine their approach to grape growing and winemaking. A growing number of wineries are producing sophisticated traditional method sparkling wines in a range of styles. Wine marketers tend to promote pink bubbly as Cupid’s choice. If that’s the style you’re after, keep an eye out for 13th Street Sparkling Rosé, Henry of Pelham Cuvée, Catharine Rosé Brut or Trius Brut Rosé Sparkling from Ontario, or Blue Mountain Rosé Brut 2019, Gray Monk Odyssey Rosé Brut or Stellar’s Jay Sparkling Rosé from British Columbia.

Côtes du Rhône White: With many of its vineyards planted with grenache, syrah and other red wine grape varieties, Côtes du Rhone wineries only produce a relatively small amount of white wine each year. Roughly six per cent of the annual production is white wines, typically produced as a blend of grenache blanc, marsanne and roussanne, with a few other varieties. The style of wine tends to be refreshing, with appealing richness and intensity of flavour. The dry, medium-bodied wines are often compared to chardonnay, but with more perfume and spice notes and less oak-derived flavours. Producers to watch include Chapoutier, Louis Bernard, Gabriel Meffre, Guigal, and Perrin.