Valentine’s is almost here and now is the time to gather creative gift ideas for the wine lover in your life. We’ve collected our recent wine-themed favorites to help procrastinating Cupids everywhere. From a classic, must-have wine and food pairing guide to tried and true wine club reviews, and a unique luxury hand soap tailored with wine enthusiasts in mind to a wine and chocolate pairing like you’ve never seen – we’ve got you covered this Valentine’s Day!
Wine Clubs – The Gift that Keeps on Giving!
Wine Clubs are a dime a dozen these days, with newspapers, magazines and of course wineries all offering a monthly wine club membership. However, they remain one of the most innovative ways to bust out of wine buying patterns and trying new wines, regions and producers. We’ve distilled our favorite wine clubs down to give readers a solid starting point to find the right fit whether preferences lean towards red or white wines, sparkling wines, international wine clubs and more. Promising to expand wine horizons, today’s wine clubs often offer a fast track to gaining new knowledge and honing tasting skills with specific wine-themed newsletters, tasting notes and producer profiles. Find our favorites here. More »
Albarello – A Luxury Hand Soap Designed Specifically for Wine Enthusiasts
Most wine lovers know tasting rule number 1: Ditch the perfumes, sweet smelling lotions and all other competing fragrances. Enter Albarello. Designed with wine lovers in mind, this luxury olive and avocado oil based unscented soap is the perfect pairing partner for wine tasters. Promising to allow the wine’s aromas to prevail, this all-natural soap leaves skin feeling clean, fresh and fragrance-free. Perfect for wine lovers and wineries alike, the Albarello line of luxury soap marries stylish packaging with practical tasting protocol and earth-friendly ingredients. More »
What to Drink with What You Eat – Classic Food and Wine Pairing Book
What to Drink with What You Eat is a one stop, table top reference for pairing food and wine. Well organized by both food and wine varietals and region, with a winsome spirit and a well stacked “advisory board” composed of the nation’s top chefs and sommeliers, husband and wife team, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, offer one of the best food and drink pairing guides on the market! This is a book to keep handy, whether you are grabbing pizza and pasta or going for more complex, ethnic dishes or regionally inspired cuisine. More »
Sweet Traders Chocolate-covered Wine
Nothing says, “Valentine’s” quite like wine and chocolate, but pairings can be tricky. Welcome Sweet Traders. With a knack for marrying wine and chocolate in unforgettable, edible packaging and mouth-mesmerizing combinations of wine and award-winning Guittard chocolate, Sweet Traders takes the concept of wine and chocolate to remarkable heights. From red and white wines dipped in chocolate to sparkling wines and Port, variety and expert chocolate pairings bring uncommon creativity to Cupid’s gift-giving arsenal. The chocolate and wine is already paired, you just “unzip” chocolate dipped bottle and pour the wine for a ready-made Valentine’s moment! Sweet traders also offers an assortment of luxury chocolates and gourmet gift baskets. Check them out here. More »
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2008
The Klein Constantia VIN de Constance brings an out-of-the-box dessert wine experience from the historic vineyards of South Africa. Constantia is a wine with history. Over 300 years ago this was the wine that vied for position with Tokay, Madeira, and Sauternes within the high-browed society of European courts.
Today deeply concentrated, shriveled grapes are hand-picked and then gently pressed to release golden, nectar-like juice. The 2008 Vin de Constance carries considerable aromas, leaning heavily on honey and sweet spice. The palate reveals zippy acidity, an unctuous profile with plenty of sweet marmalade-like characteristics, blood orange citrus and peach jam along with a touch of clove and dark chocolate on the finish.
Truly a one-of-a-kind dessert wine that weaves history and art together for an extraordinary wine gift to remember. More »
(Grabbed from: http://wine.about.com/od/winegifts/tp/5-Valentines-Day-Gifts-for-Wine-Lovers.htm)