Exploring Wine

If you’re planning to wine and date a date for Valentine’s day, a little forethought can go a long way towards making sure the evening goes well. When you know how to choose the perfect venue, just the right dishes, and quality wines to go with those dishes, you and your sweetie can enjoy a romantic experience far more memorable than any box of chocolates.

Go out or stay home?
Whether you go out or stay in depends not only on your budget, but on your date’s preferences, too. While plenty of people like eating out simply because they enjoy the atmosphere of a classy restaurant, others love the idea that someone would go to the effort to cook them a gourmet meal at home. Before you make your decision, think about whether the most enjoyable meals you’ve had together were out or in.

Know your wines
You don’t need to become an expert oenophile, but if you don’t know much about wine, read up a little so you’ll be able to choose well and express an educated opinion about your choices. In particular, learn a few common terms such as earthy, spicy, and foxy that will help you describe the flavor of the wine you sample together.

Make a match
Knowing a little about how to pair food and wine is vital if you’ll be cooking at home, but it’s also important if you’re going to a restaurant. At home, the trick is to keep each course fairly small and vary the flavors and textures so you can serve multiple courses and an interesting yet appropriate wine with each one. After all, half the fun of being able to wine and date a date for Valentine’s Day is the chance to experience new wines. Don’t be afraid to go beyond the same old Merlot’s and Sauvignon Blancs and choose a rose, a sparkling wine or even something exotic like Viognier, Marsala, or Verdelho.

At a restaurant, the waiter or sommelier can suggest a wine for your meal, but it’s still useful to know about common combinations like oysters and chardonnay, a classic aphrodisiac pair.

Don’t stop with dinner
For a truly romantic close to the evening, why not put together your own little wine and chocolate tasting party at home? For this, you’ll want to pair sweet wines with chocolates that compliment the wines’ flavors, such as a dry, fruity Cabernet Sauvignon with dark chocolate and Muscat with milk chocolate. Cognac also a good option, but skip the Champagne, since it tends to tastes bitter with chocolate.

The chance to wine and dine a date for Valentine’s Day should be enjoyable and relaxing for both of you. Do the best you can selecting the restaurant or planning the meal and choosing wines, but remember that the intimate atmosphere and the chance to experiment with food and wine pairs are more important than getting everything perfect.

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