Romantic Wines this wintery Valentine’s Day
After launching PourAtlanta.com last year with the celebratory sparkling wines, we started our tour “Falling in Love with France” for February 2020. Shortly after that month, the world started shutting down to something we never could have imagined, let alone conceived could possibly last this long.
Through the ups & downs, good & bads, I’m thankful for so much and remain optimistic for the learning & growth opportunities ahead. Unfortunately for the blog, but thankfully for my career, my full-time job ramped up and the wine writing took a back seat. Optimistically, we still have so much to taste & toast to in France with many more posts on deck. But for now, we’re taking a short detour through a few other adventures while we sip & savor some romantic wines this Hallmark holiday season!!
Nadia 2017 Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - there’s something about Cabernet Sauvignon with its dark, fruity & sometimes chocolatey body that always has me thinking big romance and Valentine’s Day. With a simple promotional email from my local beverage go-to, the Tower’s recommendation drew me to this Nadia wine, resulting in a Bordeaux-style blend from the Central Coast Santa Barbara County, California.
Pouring this cozy winter wine, it pairs perfectly with a Friday night friendly (though not easily won) game with family & friends! (Or for those still experiencing tighter lockdowns & quarantine, simply means more wine for you over a classic game of solitaire!)
The Nadia Cabernet Sauvignon
includes a blend of 7% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc with strong notes of chocolate and dark fruit on the nose & tongue after aging 18 months in the barrel! At first taste, your mouth is coated with flavors of Chocolate Cherry and maybe even some Chocolate Raisin bites.
Allowing this wine to breath is the winning result! Once we did, it was smooth as satin, savoring sips over something as light as fruit, cheese, and nuts to a healthy, hearty salad, or even bbq flatbread pizza!
Damilano Barbera d'Asti 2018 - more often than not, we love to pour one of our newest favorites - the Barbera. What started as an incorrect placement in an online order has turned into a must have for all of my family, friends & loved ones! How often do you come across something everyone loves & wants to drink more!!
As we tour through the classic wines of Italy, the Damilano vineyard has been producing this wine for the last 12 years in Casorzo of the province of Asti, an area in which Barbera has grown since the 1800s.
Though many say Barbera doesn’t get much spotlight compared to its neighboring Italian grapes, Barbera is the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy and one of my absolute favorites to pour and enjoy no matter the occasion!
As a Barbera d’Asti DOCG, the wine is 90% minimum Barbera with a deep red wine purple color.
Though dark and bold in color, the smell & taste do not come on strong and create a smooth flavor of dark fruits and light spice both on the nose & tongue.
The Barbera suits perfectly for more romantic, fancy dinners serving rich meats, mushrooms, herbs, and cheeses like blue cheese, or with higher tannin foods like root vegetables, greens, or rich & fatty dishes that pull on the bright acidity in the wine.
Laroque Carbernet Franc
Likely not your traditional go-to romantic wine, many of you may recall my love for Cabernet Franc and the incredible finds from France. Beyond Cab Franc’s classical region of Loire, the Domaine Laroque Cite de Carcassonne Cabernet Franc 2018 is from Languedoc-Roussillon, the most southern region of France.
Fruity at first then the smoke lingers in, many refer to the nose of the wine as having subtle raspberry, rhubarb, spice, and something really zesty reminding some of Popuri with the sweet smell of tobacco. At first sip, you find the fruit up front, mostly on the nose, then fades off the taste with soft tannins and a bit of pencil shavings at the end. At our last tasting of this wine, we found it to be slightly floral to fruity and some may even find a slight bitterness from the spice and tobacco taste. Others even said they had a bubble gum “Big League Grape Bubble Tape” taste hitting the back of the tongue plus fiery vanilla flavor that may just surprise you.
Working through our favorite winter wines, we poured this Laroque Cabernet Franc for our grill date night pairing perfectly with the blue cheese & bacon burgers and pimento cheese chips we had been craving!
But first, you must make a cheese plate for the ultimate wine date night. There’s nothing better than finding the best cheese to go with your wine! And we got extra lucky as we found a nice light Gorgonzola blue with a hint of cream & no overwhelming flavor, plus a local black truffle peppercorn Brie, mild-creamy gouda, blueberry goat cheese, and mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto.
Another cozy twist on your traditional date night, but one we both completely enjoyed!
Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 2018 - Looking for more romantic French wines, we always like to throwback to the Côtes du Rhône. A favorite from the last few years!
The Rhône Valley, found in the southeastern region of France, has built a reputation for the “best bargain red wines” from the country where two major red grapes break up the northern and southern part of the region.
In the northern valley, Syrah is grown along the river and known for its more savory profile with notes of black olive, plum, and dried green herbs. Enjoying our pours on a temperate winter night casually sitting around the fire, we tasted cassis and blueberry. Towards the end, I even picked up a chocolate flavor and a few other rich notes.
2016 Domaine Santa Duc, Les Vieilles Vignes Côtes-du-Rhône - The Southern Rhône is known for its blends of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. These wines display ripe raspberry, plum, and dried lavender with a smoky overtone.pour showing lighter color and a muted fruity nose with hints of spice, slight pepper, and a little clove. We sampled the two blends over a light parmesan flavored couscous giving a subtle body to the lighter red wines. After a few sips, we tasted the fruity, berry flavors with the slight tannin tug on the sides of the tongue. As it opens up, you’ll get the full tannin feel across the pallet.
Looking for sparkling rose for all the ladies this Galentine's Day! A favorite for many of my friends and one we always try to have in stock, we love to pour the Veuve du Vernay Rose, perfect for an early spring to summer brunch or cold night over chocolate & candlelight! This sparkling blend by @veuveduvernay is as pretty & pink as it’s label! One of my favorite go-tos for sparking rosés as it’s cost appropriately & oh so delicious!
Known for its “Persistent Mousse” this balanced bubbly is exactly what we need to toast to our Gal’s matching the colorful sunset! “Mousse” describes the foam formed after the sparkling is poured! Whether you’re pouring for yourself, a small party, or virtual Zoom chat, this wine pairs perfectly with its light & airy characteristics building to the wines’ sensational taste & texture allowing a mouth full of bubbles following the initial taste!
And for more of our traditional champagne sippers this Valentines celebration, check out my All that Sparkles for some of our favorite champagnes, canvas, and proseccos galore and continue through the blog to fall even more in love this February through savoring some of our French favorites!!