Romantic Wine Pairings for Valentine’s Day

French fashion designer Coco Chanel was wise when she said, “I only drink Champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not.” Whether or not you are spending cupid’s holiday with a beau this year, Champagne is always a great idea. This year, many couples will be spending the night in on Valentine’s Day. We are officially one month away from Valentine’s Day. Looking for the perfect way to celebrate? Don’t wait until the last minute; keep reading to plan out your perfect meal and romantic wine pairing to accompany it.

Romantic Wine Pairings: Hors D’oeuvres

Caviar

First, if you are starting off a luxurious Valentine’s dinner with caviar, the common pairing is Champagne. While some are adamant that caviar should only be served with vodka, champagne is an excellent choice! Our Dry Riesling also pairs very well with caviar if you are looking for an alternative to bubbly.

Cheese Boards

If you’re looking to start off your evening with a delicious cheese board with wine pairing, read our blog post How to Make a French Cheese Board for a step-by-step guide to putting together a perfectly balanced cheese board and pairing wine with it. (Reminder: The French serve the cheese course after the main meal before dessert!)

Romantic Wine Pairings: Entrées

Beef

Then, if you are planning on enjoying a delicious steak dinner, red wine is generally the way to go.

The well-balanced GSM Château La Genestière – Lirac pairs fantastically with grilled or stewed beef with its complex bouquet of black cherries and pepper with hints of licorice.

For prime beef, try the Saint Chinian Felix Culpa Syrah-Grenache blend. This is an especially great choice if you meeting your partner was some sort of “happy accident” as that is what “felix culpa” translates to! The Felix Culpa has notes of jammy red fruit, raspberry, mint and cedar. It is a rich and powerful wine with a silky palate, fine herbal spices, red berries and a persistent finish. You can also pair it with dark chocolate or a raspberry tart for dessert. Bordeaux reds, like the Chateau de Portets, are also fantastic for pairing with prime beef.

If you are accompanying your beef dish with a delicious sauce, particularly one with mushrooms in it, your Valentine will love the Les Terrasses de Saint Christophe – Saint Emilion with its lively acidity and velvety tannins. This Bordeaux red boasts flavors of red berries, spices, hints of licorice and vanilla with a long finish. Anything with mushroom will also go well with Burgundy wines, such as the Côte Chalonnaise Annie Derain.

Pasta

Another excellent choice for your Valentine’s Day meal is pasta. A light and fruity red like the Château de Saint Lager – Brouilly pairs impeccably with pasta dishes that have red sauce. If you are going with a white sauce, try the fantastic Domaine Petroni.

Seafood

Next, a common dish to share with your partner on Valentine’s Day is shellfish. The best way to avoid a crabby partner on Valentine’s Day is by pairing your fish, lobster, or crab with the Domaine Petroni or La Fleur des Pins. For a romantic wine pairing to go with sushi, calamari, scallops, or grilled salmon, treat your partner to the crisp, acidic Château Sainte Beatrice – Cuvée Vaussiere. For a red option, try the Domaine Montangeron from Fleurie.

Of course, oysters are known for being aphrodisiacs. Champagne is a tried-and-true romantic wine pairing for the French with oysters, but if you are not feeling the bubbly, our most popular white wine, La Fleur des Pins, pairs perfectly as well. Asparagus is also claimed to be an aphrodisiac, so if you want to go all in for your romantic night, we suggest this as a side!

Romantic Wine Pairings: Dessert

Crème Brûlée

Finally, for the dessert course, enjoy a classic French dessert: crème brûlée. The L’Ilot de Haut Bergeron pairs impeccably with this fabulous French dessert. This Sauternes has aromas of apricot, citrus, grapefruit, and ginger. The wine has a sweetness balanced with touch of acidity and golden fruit like peach, and apricot drizzled in honey, complimenting the rich and creamy dessert.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are another classic Valentine’s Day dessert! Sauternes, Domaine Montangeron, and of course, Champagne all pair very well with this quintessential Valentine’s Day sweet.

Chocolates

Another romantic food wine pairing we cannot forget: chocolates. For chocolates, you can refer to the same recommendations as we included for chocolate covered strawberries. A Brouilly is another fine choice, and the Felix Culpa pairs amazingly with dark chocolate. There are so many options!

Pot de Crème

For a romantic wine pairing to go with decadent chocolate pot de crème, Sauternes is an excellent choice. For a pot de créme without chocolate, go with a red Burgundy like the Côte Chalonnaise Annie Derain. You can also keep it simple with Champagne.

Keep the Romance Going

Are you looking for a way to step up the romance on top of a great meal with amazing wine to accompany it? What’s more romantic than telling your true love that you want to share an experience with them every year on Valentine’s Day?

Each of our wine pages marks the hold time for the particular bottles of wine. Accompany your dozen roses with a dozen bottles of the wine you select. The roses may wilt, but you can hold onto the wine enjoy your special Valentine’s Day bottles for years to come. For example, the Château La Genestière – Lirac can be held up to 10 years. Order a dozen bottles now, and make it a tradition to enjoy the wine together every year for the next 10 years.

Alternatively, give your Valentine the gift of a somMailier subscription so that three months they receive a shipment of 3 or 6 wines that you can make date nights out of.

– – –

Want to learn more about French wine? We’re here to help! Why not check out our French wine club? Every three months we send direct to your door three or six bottles of boutique French wines which have been carefully selected by wine experts in France along with detailed information about each wine and food pairing ideas to help you really discover French wine. And as if that wasn’t enough, we also have a wine club gift option for that special wine lover in your life!