Food Pairing 101: Wines You’d Love to Have This Valentine’s Day
 

Food Pairing 101: Wines You’d Love to Have This Valentine’s Day

February 14 is the day of the feast of Saint Valentine. Supposedly, he was a priest in Rome during the period of 270 A.D. who performed marriages in secret against the decree of Emperor Claudius II.

Engagements and marriages were banned at that time because the Emperor believed it prevented men from leaving to serve in the army. He was sentenced to death on this day.

Many legends and stories circulate about how this holiday came to be. Eventually, this day became a mass market holiday celebrated by couples and lovers.

Saint Valentine

Photo credit: history.com


Today, couples swarm restaurants and romantic places for dates on Valentine’s Day. February 14 is reportedly one of the busiest dates for restaurants, so these establishments usually come up with special set menus to cope with the large influx of diners on this day.

Menus are usually an assortment of the best dishes (or dishes that take the least time preparing depending on where you go) of the restaurant.

If going through crowds of restaurant goers and Manila traffic isn’t your thing, there’s also the option to prepare a nice romantic dinner at home with your loved one. Should you choose the latter, let's help you make it more special by pairing some lovely wine to what you may choose to prepare. 


Choose Versatility
 

Dinner date setup at home


It’s always best to choose versatile wine that can pair with different types of food. To get bang for the buck, choose wine that will pair with many dishes on the menu.

For a multi-course set menu involving a salad, soup, main course and dessert, Proseccos like Tonon Prosecco Villa Teresa Brut DOC are ideal. They are refreshing and well-balanced and will work well with a lot of dishes.

Another great wine option is a light white wine and a light red wine that can crossover to complex flavors, sauces and meats. 
San Osvaldo Pinot Grigio DOP 2017 is a rich Pinot Grigio with tropical flavors that will go well with salads and soups as well as main courses like chicken and meat.

A great all-around red wine option is the Cantina Cellaro Micina Nerello Mascalese IGT 2017. Nerello Mascalese is a medium-bodied red grape variety from Mt. Etna in Sicily and this bottle, with its interwoven properties of fruit, leather and balanced tannins, surely won’t overwhelm any of your courses.  


Steak Dinner

Steak on a plate


If you opt for a steak dinner, choose a fuller bodied red wine like the Luccarelli Campo Marina Primitivo di Manduria DOP 2017 which is intense and complex with notes of blackberries and smooth tannins that will pair well with a grilled/seared steak.

A more elegant choice would be the Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco DOCG 2015 where the steak will help express the charred and tobacco notes of the wine.  


For The Vegetarians

Broccoli dish on a plate


Vegetarians can opt for Kalfu Kuda Sauvignon Blanc 2014 from Leyda, Chile which will help bring out the green and herbal properties of the vegetables on your plate such as asparagus, broccoli for vegetarian dishes.

Click to see our Kalfu Kuda Valentine's Promo Pack

Our Valentine's Promo Pack: Kalfu Kuda Pinot Noir, Leyda 2014 (left) &
Kalfu Kuda Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda 2014 (right)

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Asian Cuisine

Table with different types of dimsum


Couples who are fans of Asian cuisine can enjoy Kalfu Kuda Pinot Noir 2014 which will be great with peking duck, mapo tofu, dimsum and similar dishes.

Another option is Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano DOCG 2014 for heavier dishes like yakitori, yakiniku, Korean BBQ or similar.

These dishes might be harder to prepare at home, but there are countless Asian restaurants that do take-out these days that we feel it shouldn’t be a problem if Asian food is the way for you.

 Singles need not worry. The perfect wine for friends to get together over dinner to laugh and enjoy each other’s company is the Montelvini Prosecco Treviso Brut DOC which comes in Magnum size (1500ml) ensuring there is enough Prosecco to go around for everyone.

A bit of love in the preparation of your Valentine’s Day dishes and the perfect wine pairing to warm up your night will go a long way. 

Cheers!


Luch Zanirato

   Head Shopkeeper