Fifty Shades of Grapes

Spending the night in with your Valentine this Saturday? Here’s five ways to make sure your wine choices are fit for the occasion.
1. Be seduced – That furtive exchange across the room is the start of many a relationship, so how important is it for your wine to be well dressed? Surely it’s the label that most attracts us to a wine. Traditional or modern, elegant or bohemian – there is a wine label for everyone.  Once poured, the wine itself begins to reveal itself: clarity, animation and a brilliant hue are all visual clues that lead us to the enjoyment to be had in the glass.

2. In the mood for love – Oysters, whipped cream and asparagus are all less likely to get us in the mood for love than a bar of Toblerone or a glass of Cabernet, according to restaurant booking website, bookatable. Britain’s 2nd favourite aphrodisiac turns out to be red wine, and this can only be good news for those trying to follow a healthy lifestyle – yes, it’s great for the heart, according to experts.

3. Get out the blind fold – blind tasting is a fun way to taste wine and it really awakens the senses. Website Wine Folly goes a step further, pinpointing the different aromas in wine that ‘arouse’ men and women. Apparently, top ‘turn ons’ for the female of the species include “musky, earthy, woody, licorice-y, and cherry-like aromas”, while men prefer “lavender, caramel, butter, orange, licorice, baking spice, vanilla-like aromas.”. With this in mind, the lady in your life might go for Nebbiolo, Barbera, Sangiovese, Zinfandel or Pinot Noir, while husbands and boyfriends are surprisingly partial to Champagne, dry Sherry, Grenache, Syrah and even rosé.

4. Be adventurous – break the rules and try something different: a match made in heaven might be just around the corner. Michelin starred chef Tom Kerridge and wine guru Joe Wadsack urged us to try fish and red wine on last week’s Food and Drink show on BBC2. Joe said that Tom’s dish of spice crusted yellow fin tuna was the fish equivalent of fillet steak, making it a brilliant pair for a lighter style of red like a Pinot Noir or Côtes du Rhône. Just try not to think of Tom and Joe when you serve it up to your loved one on Valentine’s Day - it may be a passion killer.

5. Submit to persuasion – the easiest thing to do is leave the wine choice to us here at Great Western Wine.  There are fifty shades of grapes out there, all waiting to be tried by you. So have a look online or come and visit us in store to discover some new wines you’re going to love.  Or if you want to keep it simple, a great start would be the Taittinger Rose at an affordably luxurious £32.50.

By Chris Penwarden