With Valentine’s Day coming up, every lover over the age of 21 will be thinking about choosing the perfect bottle to say “I love you.” But what makes a wine romantic, exactly? Is it the flavor? The nose? The label? Maybe a special pairing?

I asked  a simple question of a half-dozen winemaking experts: What is your most romantic wine? The answers were just as varied and personal as love itself. Here are the 6 responses, to help you get focused on your own quest for liquid romance.

John Garlich, BookCliff Vineyards:

I think of our 2007 Cabernet Franc Reserve as being our most romantic wine. It is smooth like satin and goes quite nicely with a dark chocolate truffle. Just add a candle and you are good to go.

Kitri McGuire, Sokol Blosser Winery:

Our “most romantic” wine is our Meditrina.  Named after the Roman goddess of Wine & Health, Meditrina is a blend of Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel that is round, soft, and juicy.  This blend is extraordinarily food-friendly, and will pair well with many romantic meals.  Plus, it’s a perfect gift for the “goddess” in anyone’s life!

Susan Sueiro, Gundlach Bundschu Winery:

The most romantic wine we produce at Gundlach Bundschu has to be the Estate Pinot Noir. With aromas of dried roses and sandalwood, the texture of silk and flavors of berries and spice, this is a sultry, beguiling wine. It pairs beautifully with salmon, pork and other lighter fare, and really, no one wants to eat anything too heavy on Valentine’s Day.

Valerie Andrews, Oak Mountain Winery:

Our Frisson Sparkling Wine is a great Valentine’s beverage. It has a romantic Victorian label and frisson means “an Intense Moment Of Excitement”. It is 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Hennie Bosman, Sandihurst Winery:

Which wine is the most romantic? The dark, spicy, complex and intoxicating Pinot Noir? Or is it the refreshing, aromatic and intriguing Riesling? Maybe as far as Valentine’s Day goes, it is both. To me, these two wines represent the Yin Yang of the wine world — “complementary opposites within a greater whole” (Wikipedia).

Stuart T Smith, Torea Wines:

Fairhall Downs Sauvignon Blanc is our most romantic wine as it has many layers. Just as you think you have got to the bottom of the wines mysteries another layer comes into view — as it is with true love.

So there you have it: Romance tips from 6 wine experts. If you have a favorite romantic wine, please weigh in with your own expert opinion below. After all, you’re an expert on love, aren’t you?

Prost!

]]> http://prostproductions.com/what-makes-a-wine-romantic/feed/ 0 http://prostproductions.com/breakfast-time-wine/ http://prostproductions.com/breakfast-time-wine/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:15:40 +0000 prost http://prostproductions.com/?p=350 We’re not actually going to propose that you drink wine with your Wheaties, but since January is National Hot Tea Month, we did want to point out some interesting parallels between two of our favorite beverages:

First, both wine and tea appear to have real health benefits. Clinical studies have shown that tea can help lower cholesterol, reduce plaque and boost the immune system. Meanwhile, the cholesterol-lowering benefits of wine have been well-documented, and newer studies hint at wine’s potential for reducing the risk of heart disease and even slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Secondly, both wine and tea are complex beverages with thousands of variations and thousands of years of history. Wine lovers who can talk for hours about nose, finish, and mouth feel will find much of the same sensory stimulation when they begin exploring Pouchong, Silver Needle, and other varieties of tea beyond the Earl Grey standard.

So this month, while you’re waiting for the clock to strike 4:00, why not experiment with a new beverage obsession? Tea rooms are a great place to start your education, much like you probably learned about wine by visiting tasting rooms at your favorite vineyards. To find a tea room near you, try the searchable directory TeaMap.com.

Or, pour yourself a glass of wine tonight and check out a few tea-related websites. Among our personal favorites are Teas Etc. and Teavana. Both offer lots of easy-to-digest information, plus easy ordering if you’re ready to take the plunge.

Prost!

Okay, we know what you’re thinking — and all we can say is, stop that right now. We’re talking about legit massage here, and we are true believers. If you’ve never tried it, you’re missing out on a key aspect of any holistic health regimen.

If you’re intrigued, check out the American Massage Therapy Association for a directory of certified therapists in your area. And if you’re a regular, be sure to show your therapist some love next week. Schedule an appointment and surprise him or her with a bottle of wine. We’ll bet they keep you on the table a little longer than usual!

The next time you’re in Miami, check out our therapist, James Castillo. He’ll be the best part of your vacation.

Got a therapist you’d like to recommend? Give them a shout-out in our Comments section below. Or better yet, post their website so others can find them, too. We’ll pick three therapists, at random, from those submitted below and mail them a free prost!card in your name. As for the bottle of wine, that’s up to you!

Well, we’ve got an idea.

At Prost! Productions, we don’t believe the good times in life happen only on the weekend. Work, too, can be a source of joy and satisfaction, if we just remember to watch for the moments that matter.

That’s why we’re proposing a Hump Day Toast at close of business every Wednesday. Raise a glass of wine to one person who has made your work worthwhile in the past seven days. Maybe it’s a new customer you just landed, an IT person who found your lost files, or just the guy in the next cubicle who remembered your name on the very first day. The point is to find people you appreciate — and let them know.

We’ll be offering our first Hump Day Toast this evening on Twitter. Follow us @prostcards to see who it is and what we’re drinking. Better yet, offer your own toast, and mark it with the hashtag #humptoast so others can enjoy it too.

Prost!

John F. Kennedy proclaimed the first School Lunch Week back in 1963, and it’s been observed in mid-October ever since. The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is the major cheerleader behind this annual observance, though we suspect financial backing is provided by the hair net industry, which is pretty much wholly dependent on lunch ladies all across America.

Naturally, SNA recommends milk for lunch every day, and since we’re lactose intolerant, that got us thinking: If the recession sent us back to school for some major job re-training, what on earth would we drink? Please take a moment to enter your suggested wine pairings in the “Comments” section below, and we’ll refer any disagreements to our favorite sommelier. Thanks for your input. And as always, Prost!

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Gay men and lesbians have come a long way since Stonewall, but pressure from family and society can still make it difficult to live a fully open life. So if you have a friend or loved one who came to grips with their sexuality in the last year, make it a point on Sunday to offer your support … and a toast.

What’s the proper drink for celebrating National Coming Out Day? Tough question. The stereotype would be “long necks for lesbians and cosmos for queers” — and if you’ve ever read this blog, you know we never pass up the chance to have fun with a good stereotype.

But if you’re looking for a slightly more thoughtful way to mark the occasion, try this: Take your friend to a wine shop, set a dollar value, and allow them to choose. Whatever they select, you have to drink without judgment and without criticism. Even if they go for a white Zinfandel. Or something in a box. Because really, that’s what National Coming Out Day is all about — the freedom to choose who you want to be without fear of judgment or reprisal.

Whatever your flavor, we salute you. Prost!

The day has been recognized under federal law since 1964, though bankers and mail carriers for 45 years have grudgingly continued to show up for work on Oct. 9. President Barack Obama, perhaps thinking of his favorite Golden Girl, even signed a presidential proclamation on Wednesday, noting that “Nordic Americans have contributed immeasurably to the success of America.”

Celebrating Leif Erikson Day in a culturally sensitive way can be difficult — not because Native American organizations might object, but simply because Scandinavian alcoholic beverages are relatively unknown in the U.S. A Google search for “Scandinavian wine” was fruitless (so to speak), so if you have any good suggestions, please note them below. In the meantime, we did turn up a recipe for spiced Scandinavian mulled cider that sounded promising.

Rather than wine, Scandinavia seems to be best known for aquavit, a potato-based liquor flavored with caraway. In Chicago, home to a large Scandinavian-American population, the North Shore Distillery makes a Private Reserve aquavit that sounds worth a special trip. From the tasting notes:

“Yellow straw color with a chartreuse cast. Vibrant and stimulating aromas of pink peppercorns, cardamom, lemongrass, medicinal roots and herbs, and sandalwood follow through on a silky entry to a dryish medium-to-full body with a touch of tilled earth a long, spicy fade. Excellent flavor, purity and depth.”

Aquavit, like tequila, varies greatly in quality. If you can’t find one worth savoring straight from a shot glass, you can still toast the Vikings with an aquavit cocktail. We found lots of recipes, including the Cloudberry Dream and the braver-sounding Harm’s Way.

After a couple of these drinks, we might be ready to call a cab and join our friends from the Norwegian National League in their annual laying of a wreath at the Leif Erikson statue in Chicago’s Humboldt Park. Cheers … and oofdah!

There are lots of ridiculous “special” days out there (National Kick Butt Day, anyone?), but Thursday is one that actually matters: National Depression Screening Day. If you and your loved ones don’t suffer from depression, then offer a toast tonight to good mental health.

If you suspect you may be depressed, then seek help. Mental Health America offers an online screening tool that’s free and confidential. Knowing the symptoms is the first step to getting better.

Worried that alcohol may be contributing to your depression? If you drink in excess, it just might be. But a new university study shows that abstaining from alcohol entirely is almost certainly not the answer. As reported by Time magazine, the study of 38,000 Norwegians found that “those who never drink are at significantly higher risk for not only depression but also anxiety disorders, compared with those who consume alcohol regularly.”

Researchers say there are multiple explanations, but one in particular caught our attention: Non-drinkers tend to have fewer close friends than those who imbibe regularly.

So the next time you’re out with your friends, buy them a round and thank them for being part of your support network. Maybe you’re not ready to eat, drink and be merry, but at least you can eat, drink and be not-depressed.