Wines that couples could fall in love with on Valentine's

In My Glass

By Rob Kasper

February 6, 2008

Rob Kasper's wine samplings included a white, a red and a sparkler that you could share with your sweetie. (Sun photo by Monica Lopossay / January 30, 2008)

You don't want to drink alone, especially on Valentine's Day. So I set out to find some wines that couples could cozy up to, even if they have differing tastes.

In short, I was looking for white wines that weren't fluffy, red wines that weren't scruffy and a sparkler that was not too pink or cloying.

I presented this description of Valentine's Day wines to several area merchants and got their suggestions for bottles that fit the bill.

I sampled about half a dozen of their suggested wines and culled that crop down to three favorites: a white, a red and a sparkler.

The real find was the "Braida" (Giacomo Bologna) Brachetto d'Acqui, a sparkling red wine from Italy. It was gorgeous, not too sweet and had pleasing red-wine flavors. In my book, this qualifies it as being close to the perfect boy/girl wine.

"It complements chocolate very well," Rick Ostrand, imported-wine manager at State Line Liquors in Elkton, told me. There is, Ostrand pointed out, a lot of chocolate served on Valentine's Day.

The wine was low in alcohol, 5.5 percent by volume, yet it had body and a bit of acidity. Finally, it was the right color for Valentine's Day. Its light-red hue was vibrant but not too gaudy. The only drawback was the price, about $25 a bottle.

The red wine, Cono Sur Vision Pinot Noir 2007, about $11, was a pleasant arrival from Chile. It was not forward, bodacious or aggressive like some "masculine" red wines. Instead, it was subtle - balanced, yet substantial. My wife, a confirmed white-wine drinker, liked it.

Opening it did, however, lack romance. Rather than popping a cork, I unscrewed its metal cap.

The white wine, Louis Latour "Duet" 2005, $11, was the product of a happy union of chardonnay and viognier grapes.

Who could resist a "duet" on such a romantic occasion, wondered Armin D. Pfleiderer, the wine buyer at North Baltimore's Wine Underground shop who recommended this bottle.

It had some sweetness, but did not go overboard with sugar. It featured, Pfleiderer said, a slight grapefruit aroma, bright apple notes in the body and a lingering touch of acidity. Even a confirmed red-wine guy like me warmed to this white.