The snows are just starting to melt in (most of) the northern hemisphere, crocuses are bursting out of their earthy beds, lovebirds are necking on the branches, and Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.
This holiday gives us a much-welcomed excuse to celebrate love in all its forms and bask in the sensual delights the world has to offer – especially the ones you can drink out of a crystal flute.
However you’re spending this holiday, and whomever you’re spending it with, we encourage you to treat yourself to some serious viticultural deliciousness to toast to the budding season and amour, du soi, de les autres, de le monde.
A brief history of Valentine’s Day
The very first Valentine that we know of was written by the Duke d’Orleans to his wife in the 15th century, and reads:
“Je suis desja d’amour tanné
Ma tres doulce Valentinée…”
This translates to “I am already tanned with love, my very sweet Valentine.”
The tradition of giving cards and dainties to beloveds on February 14th extends far back beyond the 1400s. And observation of the date itself is even older, originating as a feast to the Saints Valentine, three martyred figures who garnered fame as priests of the Catholic church.
The progression from Christian festival to a fete which honors love and romance is mysterious, although sometimes attributed to poetic observations of birds whose affectionate courtship rituals begin in the same season.
From Saints, to poets, to real-life lovebirds by some curious threads comes the traditions of today – and we adore them. So here are a few recommendations from us at Argaux to help you celebrate.
Best wine for Valentine’s Day
- 2014 Château de Sales Pomerol – $45
This is the wine to pour if you’re toasting to longevity, deep love, and life well lived with you and your beloved and beloveds. The Château de Sales boasts a lineage over 500 years in the making, and you can taste the commitment to tradition and legacy with every sip.
Bottled in 2014, this wine has already aged for nearly a decade, and the result is a dark, earthen flavor that drinks like bittersweet chocolate with all the complexity and intrigue that that promises. This wine is delicious, complex, and beautiful – like love. Perfect for Valentine’s day.
- 2021 Chateau Barbebelle Aix-en-Provence ‘Cuvée Madeleine’ Rosé – $25
Sweet, light-hearted, with a blush to match the rouge of your lover’s cheek – if this wine were a person she would definitely sport flower crowns to the park. But this wine is just as comfortable on a white tablecloth as it is on a gingham blanket, offering a versatility that makes it flexible enough to suit whatever romantic activity you have planned for the day.
Rich, rosie, and berry-forward, this wine is best paired with pastas, herbaceous flatbreads, and fruit de mer.
- NV Delavenne Père & Fils ‘Cuvée Amour de Louise’ Grand Cru – $150
The Amour de Louise is the result of a labor of love made to celebrate another kind of loving labor, namely the birth of the newest member of the Delavenne family, baby Louise. Notes of apple and hawthorn harken back to ancient fertility rituals and invite you to toast to blossoming love and fruitful relationship – whether you imagine that as the cultivation of shared passion, or of new life.
The Grand Cru label may feel intimidating at first, but this champagne is nonetheless accessible. Try it with a traditional Eggs Benedict for a romantic and well-tasted Valentine’s brunch.
- 2021 Âmevive Ibarra-Young Vineyard Estate Syrah – $50
Alice Anderson and her partner love wine, the earth, their farm, and each other immensely – and we have that love to thank for producing this exciting new Syrah which we are delighted to introduce to your waiting glasses.
Like an edible bouquet of fruits and flowers, pop the cork now or stow away in your cellar for a future event with friends, lovers, or your own self.
- 2020 Peay Vineyards Sonoma Coast Chardonnay – $50
This Chard is a flavorful example of what can happen when two whole people with their own experiences and histories come together to make something bigger than themselves.
That’s a little dramatic maybe, but it’s true – Vanessa Wong, experienced winemaker, visited the Peay vineyards in 2000 on a professional adventure and fell head-over-heels with the land, the vines, and Nick – one-half of the brotherly duo running the estate at the time.
The pair have produced a number of stellar bottles over the past two decades, and this is the latest to grace our collection – a classic but standalone wine that’s almost as delicious as the love story behind it.
Other Valentine’s day wine offerings from Argaux
If you’re a romantic soul who nonetheless gets a little stressed out when V-Day rolls around, never fear – allow us to take some of the pressure of planning off for you with an exquisitely curated pairing from Argaux and ROE.
This Valentine’s Day Gift Duo comes packed with all the trimmings of a romantic evening that delights all the senses. From the Argaux cellars, a bottle of our favorite Champagne, the 2015 Champagne Delavenne Grand Cru Brut Reserve, an effervescent Chardonnay that drinks like liquid gold. And for edibles, a tin of ROE caviar, to nibble on whatever substrates you most fancy.
Also included is an occasion-made “Happy Valentine’s Day” neck tag to mark the day, as well as tasting and pairing notes for the Champ, so you can dive into all this wine has to offer with expert advice.
Order the deluxe kit and receive also a package of extraordinary ROE smoked salmon, ROE “Bites”, and creme fraiche to round out a really sumptuous Valentine’s day feast.
Cheers!
