Wine: The perfect complement to Valentine's Day | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Wine: The perfect complement to Valentine's Day | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper

Posted on: Wednesday, February 13, 2008

RAISE A GLASS
Wine: The perfect complement to Valentine's Day

•	Make a DASH for deliberately healthy dishes

By Andre Lopez

What do you have planned for Valentine's Day? Chocolates or flowers? iPhone or jewelry? Dinner in or out? Whatever you do, it's likely that there will be wine on the table. Whether in the intimate dining rooms of Honolulu's fantastic restaurants, or within the comforts of your own home, picking the right wine is key to a great evening.

The wine styles I'm recommending today all have innate qualities that symbolize what Valentine's Day is all about, whether it's visual (red or pink), tactile (velvety and sumptuous) or sensory (luxurious and hedonistic). I list them in order of how I believe they would or should be served throughout a multicourse meal. Suggested prices are retail, so safely assume double if you're dining out.

Effervescent starters. Sparkling wines, especially champagne, are the perfect foil to strawberries, but with the price per carton approaching levels only the well-heeled can afford, it makes more sense to forgo the sweet, soft red fruit and instead purchase a sparkling rose wine. These wines combine the tactile bliss of fizz with mouth-watering, strawberry fruit flavors that make for a perfect prelude to an evening. Try the delightful J Vineyards Brut Rose ($32), from the Russian River of California. It's fruity and fun, yet elegant and refined. If you do decide on bubbly sans the pink pigment, reach for the Luretta "Principessa" ($18.95) from Italy. It's crafted almost entirely from chardonnay grapes and is wonderfully refreshing and crisp. It's a great aperitif to kick your taste buds into gear.

Entrancing whites. Aromatic white wines such as gewurztraminer (pronounced guh-VOORTS-truh-MEE-ner) from France and the U.S., are some of my favorite wines to sip. The flamboyant bouquet of lychee and floral notes that soar from the glass are so entrancing, I sometimes feel like I'd rather smell the wine all night instead of drinking it. It's definitely not a wine for everyone, but if you're planning on having Thai, Vietnamese or Indian food on Valentine's Day, go for it. The exotic flavors of gewurztraminer echo these cuisines' rich tastes and spice. Trimbach ($16.95) from Alsace, France, makes a widely available and very affordable style. Handley Cellars ($16.50) from Mendocino, Calif., also makes a great American version.

Sultry reds. Zinfandel, the bold and dry red variety (not the pink, sweet stuff, circa 1986) is the perfect wine for a day devoted to romance. Wine is like liquid sensuality, and zinfandels have a lot of it.

They're usually full-bodied, deep red and jam-packed with blackberry and raspberry fruit flavors. Hearty and pretty soft-edged, they pair well with treats such as chocolates, entrees such as rich, meaty dishes and even with heavier Asian-influenced dishes.

If your sweetheart is not accustomed to drinking wine, don't worry.

I find that many consumers who normally don't drink wine take a liking to the fruit-forward approachability of zinfandel.

Try the ultra-ripe Rosenblum San Francisco Bay ($17.95) or the spicy Ridge Lytton Springs ($32). Both are from venerable and widely available producers.

Sweet endings. Nothing represents Valentine's Day better than candy confections and all things sweet. Moscato D'Asti is what I consider one of the most palate-friendly, crowd-pleasing wines out there.

It hails from the Asti region in Piedmont, Italy, and is a low-alcohol, semi-sparkling wine with about half the carbonation of a typical sparkling wine. It has a refreshing bouquet of peach, pear and citrus blossom, and a mild level of sweetness that's counterbalanced by vibrant acidity.

As a finale, Moscato D'asti is a great match with non-chocolate desserts such as panna cotta or crEme brulee. Try the Cerretto Moscato D'Asti ($19.95) or the Villa Rosa ($13).

Their packaging make great aesthetic presentations, with the Cerretto coming in a tall, beautiful, slender bottle and the Villa Rosa sporting a label with colorful roses.

Andre Lopez is the owner and operator of The People's Wine Shop, 1136 South King St. (parking at rear, through driveway of the King St. Apt. Hotel).

Reach him at 593-7887 or check the Web site, www.thepeopleswineshop.com.

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