A Jug of Wine, A Loaf of Bread and Thou-Montesquieu Valentine Musings

Love and wine is a timeless pairing. As Valentine’s day is upon us, we feel inspired to share some ideas to celebrate. After all, it turns out that given a choice, almost 60% would prefer to receive a bottle of wine over a box of chocolate. Imagine if the survey was given to just wine lovers—it is safe to say the response would have likely been 100%.

In our opinion every conceivable Valentine’s Day idea will be enhanced by a special bottle of wine. Here are some ideas that are on deck with some of us here at Montesquieu:

“Nothing says love like Eiswein-filled strawberries dipped in chocolate.”

“Prosecco, Montrachet, no kids & a date with my husband.”

“Jerome Dehours Grand Vintage Champagne and oysters and after that is……”

“Planet of the Apes (old version), discussion regarding fair pay for NFL players,and favorite wine with ribs…..who says this isn’t a guy holiday too?!”

“Riesling, my friends, Riesling. German, Austrian, Alsacian, even Kiwi. The grape was made for V-Day.”

Here are some others ideas to add a personal touch to the occasion. Each of these go great with you and your loved one’s favorite wines. There is no one best Valentine’s Day wine or style. It truly depends on your tastes and preferences. For a longer explanation plus a list of food-friendly and holiday-friendly wines, see our previous post here.

An intimate dinner at home. Dining out is nice, but Valentine’s Day out can be a bit of a zoo. There are many advantages to being home in a cozy environment—your own choice of music, candlelight, no crowds, special wines, you name it.

An intimate dinner out after Valentine’s Day. If there is a restaurant that you really are pining for, yet you don’t appreciate the crowds on Valentine’s Day, make a reservation for later and include a nice note with the dinner reservation information to include in your Valentine’s Day card.

A scrapbook-style card. Receiving a hand-made card from an adult is pretty special. Add photos, mementos including ticket stubs of places you have been together, anything like that. This scrapbook card can also be a fun way to deliver a gift, with the last page holding a pair of tickets to a special show, concert, plane tickets….

Couples Spa Day. There are many day spas and spa destinations that have excellent couples selections for pampering. You don’t have to travel far—designate a Saturday or Sunday with the works. End the day with a lovely meal together. It can be an ultra “mini-vacation”.

Picnic. If you live in an area with a warm climate there are many options—parks, museums, a grassy knoll near the office, you get the idea. You don’t need to have warm weather to enjoy a picnic, you can take it indoors. Put together an eclectic basket of treats and head to the…..bedroom, living room in front of the fireplace, favorite hotel, or even go for a drive to a special view location.

Retrace a special occasion. Perhaps you had gone sailing years ago for New Year’s Eve and the wind died and you spent the night on the bay together. Plan to re-enact the evening, complete with a picnic basket full of delectables to tide you over and plan to get stuck, wind or not.

Valentines fortune-cookie style. You don’t even need the cookie, just write short love messages on narrow slips of paper to slip into cereal box, lunch box, briefcase, jacket pocket…..Make one with just the name of your love’s favorite wine and open it together when the time is right.

Write a poem or a love letter. You do not have to be a poet. Nothing is more endearing than something genuine and heartfelt that you come up with on your own. Retell the story of how you met and how it made you feel. Or try a Haiku, a simple style. If you a struggle with an original and just can’t bring yourself to do it, peruse some of the masters, find one that speaks to you and recite the poem yourself.  Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, EE Cummings, William Butler Yeats are classics to start with.

Scavenger hunt with riddles. Each Valentine clue leads to the next, with the final clue leading to the Valentine card and gift, a bubble bath with candles and wine, the car keys with the details of the date, the sky’s the limit.

Whatever your Valentine’s Day holds for you, we raise a glass and say—here’s to the timeless pairing of love and wine, and here’s to all of you!  Cheers!

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