Choosing the right wine on a certain looming holiday needn't be difficult. Just embrace the right color and type of wine.
That would be "pink" and "bubble-licious." Yes, sparkling rosés are just the ticket for this occasion.
The good news: While the bottles from Champagne might be the "pink standard," there are plenty of delicious options that allow you to splurge elsewhere on this holiday. The better news: These wines pair beautifully with most foods that have amorous reputations, especially oysters and chocolate. Or, if you're flying solo, popcorn and potato chips.
Interestingly, sparkling rosé was made before the clear stuff in Champagne itself. The color comes from extended grape-skin contact or, more often, from blending in red wine (pinot noir in Champagne). The bubbles come from a second fermentation in the bottle. Interestingly, even though Champagne labeled blanc de noirs contains only red grapes, it rarely has color.
These lovely-to-look-at, fetching-to-drink concoctions come from all over. Some places where they have found especially great expression:
Champagne: Duh. The very best and (sigh) most expensive pink bubbly emanate from this region in northeastern France. These guys (and, truth be told, largely gals) have been doing it the longest. The wines tend to be very zingy and tingly, with baked-bread aromas and green apple or sometimes Honeycrisp apple flavors. The pink wines often show a softer side than the others but usually are crispy critters on the finish.
My favorite for a decade or so has been the exhilarating Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé, which is what my Southern friends would call nigh onto perfect. A very close second is the Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Réserve Brut Rosé, which is produced only in vintage years and might be the most Honeycrisp-like wine in the world. These are extravagant, in the $80 to $100 range, but well worth it for those willing and able to go there.
Happily, there's little discernible quality falloff to the slightly sweet Moët & Chandon Brut Rosé Imperial in the $60 range and three gems that can be found for $50 or under: Nicolas Feuillatte, packed with bright flavors; Piper-Heidsieck, lush and a bit smoky, and Alfred Gratien, with persistent red-berry notes.
Alsace: Just east of Champagne and abutting Germany, this is home mostly to bold, firm white wines. But the pink stuff is exemplary. (They and other non-Champagne French sparklers made with bottle fermentation are labeled "Cremant.") For $20 to $25, consumers can get gobs of flavor and sensuality from the fascinating, harmonious Pierre Sparr, the lively, lovely Zinck (drop a strawberry in there, although it might prove redundant) and especially the smooth, endless Lucien Albrecht. Yum.
Elsewhere in France: Again, we're talking about drinking way up in the $20 to $25 range. The Louis Boillot from Burgundy is a beautifully ripe but zippy offering. The Baron de Seillac from Provence is a juicy, balanced, berry-laden delight. And if you see anything labeled Bugey-Cerdon from southeastern France, just drink it; you can thank me later.
Italy: We're now getting Brachettos and Lambruscos that are way better than ever, but they're dark and often not so effervescent, not as adept a fit for St. V's Day. We've also moved toward the $15 area with simpler but still worthy offerings. Two nice ones from the Prosecco region are the vibrant Astoria Lounge Rosé, with nice oomph on the finish, and the clean, citrusy Clara C Fiori.
Two recent discoveries from elsewhere in Italy are the Lamberti Vino Spumante Rosé, fresh and expressive, and the Martini & Rossi Sparkling Rosé, off-dry and replete with stone-fruit flavors.
California: Worth seeking out are the Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé "Cuvée de la Pompadour" ($36), a surprisingly chalky, complex sparkler, and the supple Mumm Napa Brut Rosé, a fantastic match for fried or salty food.
All of these wines can add some amore to your evening. The rest you'll have to supply yourself.
Follow Bill Ward on Twitter: @billward4.
