Some people look forward to celebrating it, while others experience it with a certain indifference. However you look at it, Valentine's Day is not a day like any other, but an opportunity to put a little extra care into the moments spent with your sweetheart, for example by preparing something refined at home.
Here is a review of French wines for Valentine's Day, perfect for a romantic dinner!
Why choose French wines for Valentine's Day dinner?
If there is one country that embodies the art of seduction and good living, it is France. From the sophistication of its cities to the charm of its countryside, everything evokes romance - and wine is no exception.
The French wine tradition offers a wide range of labels perfect for accompanying a romantic dinner. From the elegant reds of Burgundy, ideal for a refined aperitif, to the aromatic whites of the Loire, perfect for enhancing fish dishes and exotic flavours.
Choosing a French wine for Valentine's Day means giving yourself a unique sensory experience, capable of making every moment even more special. Here are some ideas of dishes to pair with French wines for this special dinner!
Mixed cold cuts and cheese platter with Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2022
Starting with Burgundy - a prestigious wine region and mother of high quality labels - is an excellent idea to experience the best French wines, especially at an important dinner such as Valentine's Day.
Those who love reds but believe that an hors d'oeuvre only calls for bubbly or refreshing white wines, will have to think again when faced with a bottle of Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2022, suitable for meat-based first and second courses, but also excellent as an aperitif wine, especially if lightly chilled.
If your Valentine's Day food and wine pairings include, for example, a mixed platter of cold meats and semi-mature cheeses that are not too spicy, to be nibbled on with your hands and perhaps tasted with a little honey, this label is the right choice, with its bewitching aromas of cherry and raspberry, the light spiciness in the background and the touch of vanilla that makes the olfactory examination even more enveloping. On the palate it surprises with its refreshing signature and subtle tannins, and with its full, juicy taste.
Gourmet Pad Thai and Sancerre Blanc Comte Lafond 2023
Who says that for a Valentine's Day dinner only traditionally refined Western dishes are covered? For a touch of originality (and spiciness), you can also draw on Eastern cuisine - Thai, to be precise - in search of a good dish to revisit in a gourmet key.
The iconic Pad Thai - rice noodles sautéed with peanuts, vegetables, prawns, tofu or meat, and seasoned with fish or soy sauce, tamarind, lime, vinegar and sugar - can be perfectly suited to a romantic occasion such as this, especially if presented in a more elegant guise. To impress your sweetheart, you can revisit it by keeping its core flavours, but replacing meat and shrimps with lobster, cupping the whole thing in a beautifully designed dish and sprinkling the portion with edible flowers.
Not to forget the wine: an excellent French wine for a romantic dinner is the Sancerre Blanc Comte Lafond 2023, which goes well with Thai dishes. This elegant white wine from the Loire will amaze the senses with an aromatic bouquet of wild herbs, flowers and white-fleshed fruit, with a special touch given by hints of flint. In the mouth, it is persistent, satisfying and slightly acidic, ideal to accompany ethnic cuisine.
French-style duck breast and Château Dauzac Margaux Gran Cru Classé 2020
After having travelled around the world and landed in Thailand, we return to France with a tasty and refined dish that is perfectly suited to a Valentine's Day dinner: Magret de Canard, or French-style duck breast, served with a red fruit and honey sauce.
These are interesting flavour contrasts, combining the savouriness of the duck meat with the sweet and slightly acidic hints of the accompanying sauce, traits that must be supported and balanced by a suitable product, such as a Château Dauzac Margaux Gran Cru Classé 2020, one of the best French wines.
Made according to the principles of organic viticulture and also suitable for consumers following a vegan diet, this wine is characterised by a beautiful garnet colour. Only by bringing the nose closer to the glass for the olfactory examination can one appreciate the complexity of each nuance, which creates a magical balance. The aromas are those of blackcurrants, plums, chocolate and violets, with a slight spiciness conferred by the scent of cloves and a particular touch of iodine. On the palate, the soft fruity hints are complemented by silky tannins, with an elegance that does not go unnoticed and goes well with this meat dish.
Blackberry cheesecake by the glass with Champagne Bruno Paillard Rosé Première Cuvée Extra-Brut
Finally, this review of Valentine's Day ideas for a romantic dinner closes with dessert, one of the most emblematic moments of the evening: the one dedicated to a little more confidential chit-chat, love-filled gazes and hands touching.
Such a context calls for the French wine that probably most embodies elegance and refinement: a Champagne.
In this case it is a rosé, a Champagne Bruno Paillard Rosé Première Cuvée Extra-Brut that goes well with the proposal for this last course, a blackberry cheesecake by the glass, capable of giving the palate the right balance between sweet and sour.
It is the Pinot Noir in particular - complemented by a small percentage of Chardonnay, which amplifies the freshness - that offers the ideal aromas for this dessert: scents of currants and wild strawberries, violets and rose petals, evolving with time into fuller tones of figs and blackberries. In the mouth, this rosé Champagne for Valentine's Day unleashes the same elegance, with fruity scents that go hand in hand with the deliciousness of this dessert.
All set for the most romantic evening of the year? Find on Svinando the best wines for Valentine's Day, and make your sweetheart's heart flutter!