They may look pretty with a plate of strawberries - but these irresistible pink wines and rosés deserve to be loved way beyond Valentine’s Day.
Once the less attractive little sibling of swashbuckling reds and sophisticated whites, rosé has blossomed into a sexy staple of romantic meals and holiday memories.
The popularity of drinking pink has even led some producers to sacrifice their reds in order to produce the best rosé possible - resulting in some superb Valentine’s Day vino.
It’s a misconception that all rosé is a blend of red and white - although this is usually true for sparkling pink wine. For still rosé, red grapes are fermented for 12-24 hours, then pressed, then the wine is treated as a white.
The results are often beautiful - refreshing but benefitting from the red berry character of the macerated grape skins.
And if you only enjoy pink wines on February the 14th you’ll miss out on excellent drinking to be enjoyed from now until the end of a long summer.
Our recommended pink wines for Valentine’s Day
Anyone who’s been on holiday to the south of France will have fond memories of delicious local dishes paired with a beautiful pink such as the Domaine De La Croix Irrésistible Rosé from Provence.
And if you’re cooking up a Valentine’s day dinner to die for, your sweetheart will swoon over any salmon or salad paired with Domaine Horgelus Gasgcogne Rosé.
Or try a little tenderness by matching succulent pork and chicken with a beautiful glass of Paras Balta Ros de Pacs.
Of course, there’s no need to wait until you’re eating to pop open the pink - sparkling rosés like Astoria Fashion Victim make a mouthwatering aperitif.
And our rosé Champagne Veuve Doussot Tendresse punches well above its price tag, charming blind taste testers and consistently beating bigger budget bottles for both balance and fruitiness.
Have long-term relationship with rosé
Whether you’re loved up or a lonely heart, there’s a perfect pink wine or rosé for everyone - your best match may be subtly sweet or dry with good fruit.
Enjoy Valentine’s Day, whoever you’re spending it with - but spend the rest of spring and summer sampling a selection of pink wines until you find ‘the one’.