Gifts for Your Valentine

What More Can Your Valentine Ask For?

VALENTINE’S DAY IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER and we want to help you find the perfect gift for that special someone. For this month’s article we’ll highlight some of our favorite products for that special day. The first product we want to talk about is one of our favorites this time of year. The Slo Down Wines Sexual Chocolate is a perfect wine for pizza, chocolate, and a movie. It’s a perfect blend of Syrah and Zinfandel. The Zinfandel presents a rich, warm feel that could easily be confused with biting into a dark chocolate covered cherry, while the Syrah adds a smooth, deep and refined finish. The luscious chocolate and cherry aromas will leave you feeling highly satisfied as flavors of sweet raisin, milk chocolate, tobacco and freshly cracked pepper wash over your palate and hug you with its velvety mouthfeel. Grab your favorite brand of chocolate, a pizza and that special someone. This relationship is one for the books.

This next product is another of our favorites this time of year, as it pairs perfectly with a juicy steak from Doe’s Eat Place. Molly Dooker Carnival of Love Shiraz is just as life should be. A place where everyone wants to be and no one wants to leave. This Australian Shiraz beautifully captures the essence of Molly Dooker. It has elegance, a complete, intense, seamless flavor spectrum; a marvelous mouthfeel and perfect balance. Carnival of Love is fragrant, structured and loaded with finesse and complexity. This stunning, perfumed wine opens with alluring scents evoking roses and potpourri intermingled with toasted black cherries, chocolate, accents of cinnamon, and cloves. The palate is smooth and viscous. Black cherries, blueberries, sweet red peppers, and liquorice dance across your taste buds. This is a dense and flamboyant effort that you can’t seem to put down. It’s begging you to enjoy with your favorite person over a nice steak at your favorite steakhouse or home. Enjoy lovebirds!

We’ve already mentioned one product from Slo Down Wines, but we can’t help ourselves in suggesting another. Brandon Allen’s wines are just too good for Valentine’s Day both in name and structure, and if you and your loved one enjoy cabernet sauvignon then look no further than the Love Hammer Cabernet Sauvignon. A dark and inky cabernet with intense aromatics of black cherry, dark chocolate, mocha, baking spices and clove. This wine delights the palate with an array of cranberry, leather and rum raisin, all wrapped up with powerful fruit tannins that are softened by an explosion of brambly blackberry and dark cherry. It finishes with a long, seductive elegance awaiting your next sip. Enjoy this wine at its best after decanting for a patient moment. While you wait for your wine to peak, prepare a couple of juicy Doe’s Eat Place ribeyes that will enhance all flavors of the magnificent Love Hammer.

For fans of chocolate on Valentine’s we have a few incredible suggestions. If you have milk chocolate or chocolate with nuts, we suggest a tawny port. Two of our favorites are the Warre’s Otima 10 and 20 year old Tawny Ports. The 10 year old has a rich tawny color, with an excellent nose of nuts and hints of mature fruit. The palate is light and delicate, beautifully rounded, with hints of dried fruits, and a long elegant finish. The translucent copper colored tone of the 20 year old is matched by the beautiful soft nutty aromas gained by a full twenty years aging in seasoned oak casks. Otima 20 Years is rich and delicate, but never cloying; the tannins and acidity ensure balance and perfect length. If white chocolate is your vice, then we would pair it with the beautiful Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling. This semi-sweet wine opens with luscious aromas of citrus and tropical fruits. The mouthfeel is juicy with bright acidity that activates the palate and displays flavors of peach, pineapple and honeysuckle. The finish is wonderfully persistent with a balance of sweetness and refreshing crispness. Serve well-chilled and allow to warm in your glass for optimal enjoyment of aroma and flavor! Let us be your one-stop-shop! Get that special bottle of wine (or several) and the perfect meal to go with the Doe’s Eat Place steaks for your own grill. We always look forward to helping you all find the perfect product for any occasion. We hope you have a magical Valentine’s Day with your special person. We are open 11am-8pm Monday through Saturday and as always thank you for letting us be your Spirits Guides here at Washington Wine & Spirits.