For the most romantic day of the year, men and women will want to select the most romantic wine, at the best price, to celebrate with their significant others. With the chocolates and sweets that invariably accompany the holiday, red dessert wines seem to be a popular choice for wine lovers.
Huddled around the short counter at Cornucopia Bottle Market, Katherine Calandra, Randy Baker and David Bianco conferred on the best wines to drink for Valentine’s Day.
Calandra, service manager at Cornucopia, recommended Secret House Sparkling Pinot Noir.
“It’s a bubbly red,” she said, adding that the wine is unusual because it is sweet, and most sparkling wines are dry. She said that Secret House is a locally made wine, and the name had a romantic sound.
“It’s like champagne” and great for making toasts, Calandra said.
A bottle of Secret House costs about $15 at Cornucopia.
Both Calandra and Baker, owner of the French Horn, recommended Sin Zin, a delicious zinfandel from California.
“It’s very fruit-forward,” Baker said. He said it has a very jam-like taste.
Calandra suggested serving Sin Zin with spicy food or pork, though it would go well with just about any dish.
The sweet and fruity Sin Zin sells for about $23 at Cornucopia.
Amplexius is a wine that is romantic from the first taste to the label on the bottle, according to Calandra. Amplexius is Latin for “frogs doin’ it,” she said. Pictured on the label are two frogs getting married.
According to Baker, this wine is also fruity and good for either an aperitif or for drinking during the meal. Amplexius costs about $19.
David Bianco, a family member of Cornucopia’s owners, highly recommended the Duet Cream Sherry and the Deco Port for a Valentine’s Day celebration. They are fortified dessert wines from California, he said.
“(They’re) good with chocolate,” he said.
These wines have a higher alcohol content and added flavorings that make them very sweet, Baker said. He also said he admires the creative and artistic bottle design. These wines cost about $20.
And for those who prefer beer over wine, Bianco recommended Lambic’s raspberry-flavored beer. He said Lambic offers fruity beers that are popular alternatives to wine. The raspberry beer costs around $10, but he also recommends the Lambic peach and cherry beers as well, which sell for $5.49.