Best Wines to Pair with Valentine’s Day ChocolateRosé with Dark ChocolateBlush-style wines are a classic Valentine’s Day choice. Balance the vibrant fruit flavors of Kendall-Jackson’s 2019 Vintner’s Reserve California Rosé with a more bitter option, like dark chocolate.
Best Wines to Pair with Valentine’s Day ChocolateWhite Chocolate with ChardonnayWith notes of creamy vanilla, honey and hints of toasted oak, sweet white chocolate pairs well with mildly buttery California Chardonnays like America’s #1 selling Chardonnay, Kendall-Jackson’s 2019 Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay.
The Ultimate Valentine’s Day Guide To Celebrate All Things Love In 2021Fresh, fruit-forward wines are the perfect pairing for this Valentines (or Galentine’s) Day — sip on a grapefruit and strawberry forward rosé like Kendall-Jackson’s 2018 Vintner’s Reserve Rosé and pair it with your favorite charcuterie plate combination.
Getting Fresh On Valentine’s DayVery light, delicate shell pink color. Clean, light and elegant with floral tones. Slightly creamy, generous mouthfeel. Makes its point of view more through texture than fruit. Nice showing from a lesser-known sub-area within the Willamette Valley.
10 of the Best Champagnes and Proseccos for Valentine’s DayIf you need a few bottles for the Cupid’s big day, this is a good case buy. It’s solid and cheap, with a good balance of fruit to bubbles.
7 Perfect Wine and Chocolate Pairings for This Valentine's DayAnd last of the Kendall-Jackson recommendations is the Jackson Estate Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. Priced at $65, this wine can be ordered online or purchased in person at the winery. We'll drink a glass of this with our rib-eye steak and then pair it with chocolate to cap off the evening. It features dark fruit flavors of cherry, cassis and red currant. Elegantly muscular with soft, chewy tannins, this wine pairs well with non-sweet dark chocolate and cherry-infused dark chocolate. The bitterness from the cacao accentuates the wine's tannins, creating a match made in heaven.
7 Perfect Wine and Chocolate Pairings for This Valentine's DayKendall-Jackson's Jacskon Estate Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2017, priced at $40, is one of the top choices for Valentine's Day. Purchase online or in-person at the winery, or some higher-end wine shops may carry this Pinot.The creamy texture of the wine’s caramel flavors and silky tannins pair harmoniously with rich chocolate caramel. 3D Candies, a family-owned operation right here in my hometown of Sacramento, makes the perfect chocolate covered caramel candy for this occasion.
7 Perfect Wine and Chocolate Pairings for This Valentine's DayAnother favorite for Valentine's Day, not just because of its pretty pale pink color, is the Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Rosé. Priced at $17, this one is also found easily at many stores.Aromas of hibiscus, apricot, and fresh cut watermelon meet notes of crisp grapefruit and hibiscus. Normally I would pair this lovely wine with a charcuterie board to be enjoyed on a sunny Sunday afternoon. But for Valentine’s Day, we’re pairing it with raspberry-infused dark chocolates from See’s Candies and Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates. Dark chocolate with hazelnut is another good option.
7 Perfect Wine and Chocolate Pairings for This Valentine's DayIf your lover prefers white wine, I recommend the Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay. Priced at $17 or less per bottle, this chardonnay offers a good value while delivering a traditional California styled chardonnay. Plus, it's easy to find at your grocery store or wine shop.With notes of creamy vanilla, honey, and hints of toasted oak, sweet white chocolate pairs well with the flavors of this mildly buttery white wine. These divinity puffs from See’s Candies work perfectly for this pairing.
A lot of people ask me, and Campbell, and Mike, for a ripe and creamy Chardonnay that delivers a bit of Old Skool flavour. I’m often stuck for a recommendation, but this wine surely fits the bill. Importer: Red + White. It has the peach, pineapple and cream, and silky buttery gloss of flavour, but keeps itself pretty trim all up, and balanced, and also sports some savoury toasty wood and spice. Finish is solid. You have folds of flavour, and ease of drinking. It does old school Chardonnay very nicely.
Bold, spicy, rhubarb and pipe tobacco, with stewed cherries. It’s a big wine, not exactly subtle, and comes over a bit like mulled wine, replete with cinnamon and orange peel, but there’s plenty of flavour and poached strawberry, warming alcohol and a lick of dusty tannin. It’s hearty and interesting, but for those seeking a fuller flavoured expression of Pinot Noir. Ooof.
Wines to Ward off Winter's ChillWhile red wines are the typical suggestion for the colder months, America’s #1 selling Chardonnay for 26 years and counting is the perfect full-bodied white wine to keep you warm on a chilly winter night with tropical notes of pineapple, mango and papaya, and aromas of vanilla, honey, and toasted oak. Known as the Meryl Streep of wine, Chardonnay is the most versatile grape and is an ideal accompaniment to winter produce like squash, creamy pasta dishes and pork loin.
30 Wonderful Winter SparklersWinemaker’s Notes: Aromas of Asian pear, honeysuckle, dragon fruit, rose petal, brioche, wild strawberry. Flavors of tangerine, kumquat, nectarine. Great balance and acidity, vibrant and exceptionally clean all the way through the finish, phenomenally precise.
Forget Champagne: 11 Superb New Sparkling Wines From Oregon—Yes, Oregon—to Toast Your ValentineThis vibrant, pale rosé sparkler from Gran Moraine has straight-arrow focus. Rose petal, delicate red berry, orange peel and baked quince aromas—with just a touch of toast—give way to a range of citrus, from pink grapefruit to lime zest, layered with white stone fruit lingering on a refreshingly dry finish.
Chilled wine, warm hearts on Valentine's DayLooking to splurge on a romantic red? You could do far worse than the La Crema 2018 Pinot Noir. There’s plenty of black cherry, earth, cola, herbal and plum aromas that jump out of the glass, with hints of spice from oak aging.It’s dry and light-plus bodied, with cherry and raspberry flavours front and centre, some underlying white pepper and spice, hints of earth and cola and a long, mildly tannic and somewhat warm finish (it’s 13.5 per cent alcohol). It will easily appeal to both budding and diehard Pinot fans, and would work with anything from pork tenderloin to tuna to pizza. 4.5/5
Tiny bunches (40-50g) from a very low yielding vintage. Total production is 150 dozen. Rather than make Wombat Stew, Flammo opted for the techniques he used while working in the Cote de Brouilly. I’ve been using the word ‘frisky’ of late, perhaps a little too often, though this wine is absolutely definitely of the frisky kind. It’s very spicy and perfumed, strawberry and raspberry, a peppered steak spread thing happening, and also, something a little like Turkish delight. Light in body, tight and sappy, red berries, perky and frisky, a fine dusting of soft tannin, pomegranate tang and white pepper on a nice long cool finish. It’s a light and feathery wine, but it lays the charm on heavy.
Lovely aromas of orange blossom, green apple and spice build to minerality and vibrancy on the snappy, refreshing finish. Drink now.
This is a sleekly built red, with vibrant and delicately layered rose petal, raspberry and black tea tones that pick up speed and tension on the zesty finish. Drink now through 2026.
Sleek and steely, with elegant lemon and kiwi flavors that end on a vibrant accent. Drink now.
This white is appealing for its soft pear and floral lime flavors that finish on a delicate accent. Drink now.
With a long growing season thanks to the influence of the Pacific Ocean on the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, Chardonnay fruit can often be harvested weeks after red wines of the region are picked. Fruit ripens slowly, giving a subtle, delicate undertone to concentrated, textured fruit. Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay shines with lemon-lime citrus and lychee notes, melding with soft herbs, blanched almond, and a touch of crushed stone minerality giving the wine an earthy finish with ethereal elegance. An incredible wine for the price.
Family-owned Cambria Estate showcases cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir produced with passion, approachability, and character. Sustainably-farmed, ensuring the true character of the fruit shines through, Cambria Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay is fresh, and floral, showing notes of lemon blossom, honeysuckle, and lime leaf, melding with tangerine and Asian pear.
So many good things going on in this wine, it makes me want to drink more Cabernet from McLaren Vale. Classic cassis, fresh blackberry, and cedar notes on a taut, medium-bodied frame. I sampled with Coravin so I can save for another year. (Won’t happen.)
A reminder why Australian Shiraz was such a success in the first place. Balances ripe black fruits against the grape’s savory, smoky, meaty character. Not overblown or overripe, as some have come to view Aussie Shiraz. Follows the Goldilocks principle of “just right.”
Bright and tense while full-bodied and creamy, offers notes of white flowers, pears, and apples. The intersection of Burgundy and Australia.