Enjoy Sparkling and Rose Wines on Valentine’s DayPR SAMPLE 

Celebrate love this Valentine’s Day by indulging in a delightful experience of sharing sparkling or rosé wines with your significant other. The effervescence of sparkling wines mirrors the joy and excitement of love, making it an ideal choice for a romantic evening.  The light and refreshing nature of sparkling wine and the delicate bubbles on your palate will enhance the romantic ambiance as you toast to the special bond you share.

If you don’t enjoy sparkling wines or need a second bottle after opening your sparkling wine, why not try a rosé wine on Valentine’s Day? The blush hues and red fruit aromas and flavours of rosé wine help set the mood. You can complement a rosé wine with cheeses like goat cheese or Camembert.  Camembert is also a good choice for a sparkling wine pairing.  Include some ripe watermelon, fragrant strawberries, or juicy raspberries to add a burst of sweetness to enhance the fruity undertones of these wines.  For a touch of sophistication, consider pairing your sparkling wine with a selection of nuts, such as almonds or hazelnuts, to add a subtle crunch to your tasting experience.  As you sip and savour these delightful pairings, you and your significant other will create lasting memories of Valentine’s Day.

I have three sparkling wines and two rosé wines that you may want to consider opening on Valentine’s Day.  

My Wine Tasting Notes

Champagne Roederer Collection 243, France (BC $89.99)

From the winery, “The Perpetual Reserve was created to accentuate the freshness in the wines and balance the ripeness of the harvest. Started with the 2012 vintage, enriched each year with wines from the latest harvest and stored in large capacity stainless steel vats, this Perpetual Reserve brings new tasting sensations, both tactile and gustatory…These reserve wines are Louis Roederer’s hallmark signature, the very essence of its style. They are aged in oak barrels and make up 10% of the Collection 243 blend. The patina of age adds a lovely softness to the blend and some slightly toasted smoky notes.”  This wine is a blend of reserve wines from 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Appearance: A clear, medium-intensity pear skin colour in the glass.  Quite persistent small bubbles from the bottom to the top of the glass.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas of pears, apples, and a touch of toastiness.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body, with a round and soft mouthfeel.  Light, small creamy bubbles.  Stone fruits, pears, with touches of floral and toastiness on the palate. I also picked up some minerality upon my first sip.  Some bitterness / almond toward the finish. 
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing dry, with toast, stone fruit and a touch of honey on the palate.

Rating:   A classy Champagne that offers elegant fruit flavours, toast, floral, and small creamy bubbles.

FIOL Prosecco Extra Dry, D.O.C., Italy (BC $23.98)

From the winery, “An award-winning, refreshing, and smooth expression of the Glera grape, with limited acidity and moderate alcohol content, our FIOL Prosecco Extra Dry is lively and refreshing on the palate. Overseen by wine expert Marzio Pol, with over 50 harvests of experience, FIOL guarantees exceptional quality and flavour.”

Appearance: A clear, pale lemon colour.
Nose: Lighter aromas of citrus, orange in particular, plus stone fruits.
Palate: This wine is off-dry with a round, thicker mouthfeel.  Biting, medium-sized bubbles.  Tea leaves, oranges and a touch of floral on the palate.  Some bitterness toward the finish.
Finish: A medium-length finish with light orange, peach, floral and some pepperiness.  A thick and round mouthfeel to the end.

Rating:   Consider this wine if you prefer an off-dry wine that has inviting flavours of tea leaves, oranges, and floral on the palate.

Church & State Wines Blanc de Blancs 2018, BC (BC $38.81)

From the winery, “This is the first vintage of this traditional method, brut nature Chardonnay. Our 2018 Blanc de Blancs spent 30 months on the lees at our sparkling wine house in Brentwood Bay. The fruit for this wine comes from our Détente vineyard on the Black Sage Bench.”

Appearance: A clear, bright, medium-minus intensity lemon colour.  Medium-sized bubbles.
Nose: Lighter aromas of citrus, toast, and bruised apples.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body with a round, waxy mouthfeel.  A medium-sized mix of creamy and biting bubbles.  Pronounced flavours of citrus and stone fruits, plus apple.  Some citrus pith bitterness toward the end.
Finish: A medium-length finishing dry, with citrus and citrus pith flavours.

Rating: – A quality BC sparkling wine that offers the feel of a Champagne at a lower price point.  Medium-plus body with citrus, stone fruits, and apple flavours, plus a mix of creamy and biting bubbles. Tarter flavours than the Champagne.

I tasted the sparkling wines with strawberries and green grapes.  The strawberries added their sweet flavour which complemented the acidity and bubbles of the sparkling wines.  The grapes dissolved into the wines, adding a touch of sweetness.

No decanting notes for sparkling wines, as you want to keep the bubbles.  I also did not provide decanting notes for the two rosé wines below as I assume that once the bottle is opened on Valentine’s Day, it will be finished.

Château La Coste Rosé, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, France (BC $28.99)

This is an organic wine and biodynamic wine made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah grapes, fermented in stainless steel tanks.

Appearance: A medium intensity bright, clear peach skin colour.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas; a blend of citrus and tart red fruits, plus light toastiness.
Palate: Dry, soft and round with a light mouthfeel that gets bigger with swirling and lingers on your tongue.  Light acidity.  Crunchy red fruit flavours plus well-integrated toast and oak.
Finish: Medium-plus length with toast, red fruits, and light pepperiness on the palate.

Rating: – A quality rose that you can enjoy both the red fruit flavours plus toastiness on the nose and palate.  Light acidity and soft mouthfeel lets you sip this wine on its own.

Gérard Bertrand Cote des Roses Rosé x Cepe 2022, Languedoc, France (BC $29.99 on sale till March 2)

All Gérard Bertrand wines are biodynamic. This wine is a collaboration between Emma Bertrand and one of the
most talented artists in the South of France: Cépé. This Côte des Roses cuvée celebrates the Mediterranean Art of Living.  It is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Syrah grapes in stainless steel tanks.

Appearance: A medium-minus bright, clear peach skin colour.
Nose: Lighter aromas of red fruits and strawberries.
Palate: This wine is dry, round and soft with a thicker mouthfeel.  There is a slight acidic prickle to this wine.  Strawberries and red fruit flavours, which become more tart toward the finish.  Medium-plus flavour intensity.
Finish: Medium length finishing with tart red fruit, strawberries, and light pepperiness.

Rating: A lighter-bodied rose wine that offers red fruits that get tarter toward the finish.  There is also a slight acidic prickle that may work well with creamy cheeses and charcuterie.

Where Can I Buy These Wines?

These wines are available at BC Liquor stores:

• Champagne Roederer Collection 243, France
• Chateáu La Coste Rosé, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, France
• Gérard Bertrand Cote des Roses Rosé x Cepe 2022, Languedoc, France

This wine is available at Everything Wine stores:

• Champagne Roederer Collection 243, France

You can purchase the Church & State Wines Blanc de Blancs 2018 online on the Church & State website.

Fiol Prosecco Extra Dry is sold through Legacy Liquor Store Vancouver, Liberty Wine Merchant’s multiple locations (Vancouver, North Vancouver), and Angry Otter Kitsilano.