Love, Chocolate & BC Wine

Quails’ Gate Old Vines Foch with salted caramel chocolate bar

LOVE, CHOCOLATE & BC WINE

Oh, Valentine’s Day. Your humble beginnings in the 15^th century as a day of hand-written love notes has become a spectacle, filled with mass-produced greeting cards with dollar-store sentiments. It can be difficult to find anything that resonates as being from the heart. But we can try to keep love alive – with wine.

February 10^th marked the second year that West Side Wine Trail winery members opened their doors to share the love: of wine, food, and chocolate. EAT was invited on a tour with sommelier Shalyn Syrjanen-Ross to sample our way through four wineries, several wines, and a decadent selection of tasty treats. We picked up a few handy Valentine’s Day wine tips along the way.

Icewine or dessert. Not both.

It might seem counter-intuitive to keep them separated, but your palate will thank you. Sugars in icewine clash with those in desserts, making each taste much less pleasant. Tip: try a port-style wine like Quails’ Gate 2009 Old Vines Foch with salted caramel and chocolate – or skip straight to the icewine as a solo act.

Every day is special.

The day of love is the perfect time to share that special bottle you have tucked away. If meat is on the menu, decant a big red blend – or a grape less celebrated, as long as the wine has plenty of body and a few of those tooth-coating tannins. Tip: Mt, Boucherie 2009 Blaufrankisch loves lamb – and the crackle of a fireplace.

Keep it simple, silly.

If you think it’s too much, it just might be. When you’re overwhelmed by wine pairings, take one out of the equation and recalculate. Tip: A glass of sparkling wine makes a great appetizer and can fare well with a range of pre-dinner snacks. Chicken and salmon cozy up to Pinot Noir quite easily (watch the seasonings), and oysters adore Sauvignon Blanc.

Friends are love, too.

This is a day for the people you love, especially friends. My favourite best-friend-wine has always been Pinot Noir, while a glass of Riesling can get me through just about anything. So if you’re not living a greeting-card version of Valentine’s Day, that’s perfectly okay. Tip: to ease heartache, try Rollingdale 2008 La Droit or Little Straw Vineyards 2011 Old Vines Auxerrois, don your most comfortable jeans, and spend time with that best friend.