Valentine's Day Sparkling Wines

by Kristine Hansen, Posted Feb 10th 2011 @ 5:00PM

french sparkling wine Photo: Sergey Melkonov, Flickr

On Valentine's Day the last thing you want to give your sweetheart is the impression that you're cheap. But if $75 for a bottle of French Champagne seems a little stiff, we have a delicious solution for you.

Here are four sparkling wines from around the world, all $50 and under and all sure to impress your date. If good food is going to be part of the Valentine's Day celebration, take special note of our pairings suggestions, too. If red-meat dishes are on the menu, and you must have sparkling wine, choose one made from red-wine grapes, such as the Mumm Napa Bru Rose below. (Also see our "Bargain Bubblies" post on sparkling wines.)

Appetizers:
Saint-Hilaire 2007 Blanquette de Limoux White Sparkling Wine, Limoux, France ($14)
More than 450 years ago, Benedictine monks at the Abbey of Saint-Hillaire created France's oldest sparkling wine, 100 years before the very first bottle of Champagne was produced. Approachable and yet very complex, this is also a good bottle to open during a new relationship -- you'd be surprised how many people are turned off by bad wine -- or to kick off a fabulous meal. Green-apple notes slide effortlessly into a soft finish.

Chicken:
Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte 2004 Brut Blanc de Blancs Millesime, Epernay, Champagne, France ($50)
With a toasty, creamy finish, this brut is very clean and confident. Notes of bright, white fruit are right-on for a food pairing with chicken, especially if your favorite chicken recipe contains lots of lemon or butter.

Fish:
Domaine Chandon California Brut Classic, California ($18)
On the drier side, this sparkling wine -- which is very balanced -- expresses juicy-apple notes and eases into subtle pear flavors on the finish. For fish dishes that are accompanied by a sweet sauce (perhaps one with Caribbean flair?) this would be a nice match.

Dessert:
Mumm Napa Brut Rose, Napa Valley, California ($22)
Wild-strawberry and bing-cherry notes, along with herbaceous accents, evolve into excellent mouthfeel. Whether you're slicing into a rich cheesecake or a cake-y brownie, a flute of this will create a very sweet ending.

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Filed Under: Drinks
Tags: sprakling wine, valentines day, valentines day wine, ValentinesDay

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-10-2011 @6:40PM Widowmaker said... Oxygen? Veuve Clicquot!
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2-12-2011 @3:07PM elmugre said... For only $12-16 one can purchase Gruet's New Mexico champagne. Made by a French family from New Mexico grapes, it is clean, fresh, bubbly and excellent!
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2-12-2011 @6:33PM MLS said... sparkling ROSA ROGALE is simply divine. the perfect red any time of the year! Happy "V" Day !!
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2-12-2011 @7:17PM DanW said... Try to find this sparkling rose of Malbec from the Loire valley from the maker Domaine Augis, I had the 2009. It's made like a champagne, and it's nice and dry. It's a pretty pink color, and everyone that tried it was impressed. It's between $15-$20, so enough to be special, but not over the top, and not cheap.
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2-13-2011 @3:41PM Chase said... Are we forgetting Barefoot Moscato, Riesling and Sweet Red?? Excellent wines at very affordable prices. We let some meat soak in the Sweer Red for beef stew a few days ago. Its was fantastic!! Most of this wine can be gotten for right around 10-12 dollars & thts for the larger glass bottle. I highly recommend it to anyone. The Moscato is perfect for sippig with some chocolates or fruits. I definitely advise checking out!
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