Nothing says love like wine

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, couples are always searching for an expression of affection that shows thoughtfulness and sets the mood for a romantic evening.

It used to be a box of chocolates, flowers and a card. But with so many very good wines on the market, the choices have expanded to include a good bottle of wine. Wine sets the tone for romance. It is a gift that both can share at the moment, and it is the one time of the year when splurging for that great bottle is encouraged. Don't go for the single hit when you can smack it out of the ballpark. Just be smart in your purchase - don't go for brand names that mean little to you other than some mention in a wine magazine. Research a good wine online, or talk to the wine folks in specialty shops.

Save the house wine for parties and barbeques. This is the one night when you want to set an ambience that indulges in taste, texture, sounds and intimacy. (You have to supply the music and lights, or the restaurant).

My first pick would be pinot noir. A good or great bottle will provide a velvet silkiness in the mouth that invokes the subtle hair toss and the kind of sultriness of Lauren Bacall when she tries to teach Humphrey Bogart how to whistle. ("Just put your lips together and blow...") There is earthiness in a good pinot noir and it one of the best wines to share over a meal with meat, poultry or fish.

My recommendations include the 2002 Lemelson Jerome Pinot Noir Reserve - a beautiful wine that is drinking well now, with black cherries in the finish and a freshness reminiscent of just-picked berries (around $30-$35). Beaux Freres, another Oregon pinot noir maker, produces outstanding pinot noir, but you will have to pay $50 or more - go for the 2002 vintages and hunt for it in wine shops - it is worth the price.

According to those who sell pinot noir in Eastern Washington, consumers are still warming up to the varietal - a slow burn, so to speak. So, if pinot noir isn't your taste, yet, look for a good Washington State cabernet sauvignon or a Bordeaux blend or meritage - consisting of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc or other blends.

A favorite is L'Ecole No. 41 Pepperbridge Vineyard Apogee 2001 ($40 to $46). This wine is boldly aromatic, with spicy aromas of nutmeg and clove, and earthy hints of sweet tobacco and leather and dark fruit flavors of black cherry, plum and cassis. If aroma can arouse, L'Ecole will fit the bill - it is drinking beautifully right now and ready for a Valentine's engagement.

Whether you go out to eat or dine at home, ambiance can create the perfect Valentine's Day moment. Save the chocolates for later.

LATITUDE 46A- NORTH PRODUCES A WINNING BLEND

For those of you who have seen the award-winning film, "Sideways," there is a sarcastic remark about merlot that should be ignored in some cases. One of the film's characters gets talked into drinking wine with a couple of women, and before he goes into the restaurant, he remarks, "OK, but we're not drinking merlot!"

While it is true that merlot has become the chardonnay of red wines, it is unfair to lump all merlot as mediocre red wine that only white wine drinkers love.

Washington State produces some of the best merlot in the world, but as a varietal, it often needs a little splash of another grape to give it an edge. Most winemakers will blend a little something in their single variety wines - a cabernet sauvignon will sometimes have a little merlot to smooth out the tannins. A merlot will have a splash of cabernet to provide more backbone and core to the wine.

Chris Dowsett, winemaker of Latitude 46a- North, near Walla Walla, has produced a terrific Washington blend, using merlot as its foundation. The wine, Vindication, ($40-$45) is 70 percent merlot, 26 percent cabernet sauvignon and 4 percent syrah.

"Blending is important for merlot. It can be like the Pepsi of wine if you don't work with it and find fruit that expresses the site the fruit came from," said Dowsett. "I don't focus on one site, but when you blend the grapes from different sites, you can find those special qualities."

Vindication will not be made every year, and with the frost from last year, there will be a 2003, but not a 2004 bottling. Grab it now while supplies last.

This is another tasty wine that drinks well for Valentine's Day.

MARYHILL WINERY SURPRISES WITH ZINFANDEL

A former Spokane couple, Craig and Vicki Leuthold, is garnering accolades for wines produced at their Goldendale, Wash., site. They still own a house in Spokane and their wines are featured in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho stores.

Maryhill produces everything from sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, sangiovese, a red table wine blend, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah and zinfandel and more. They also make reserve wines from some of the same varietals.

What is unusual is their zinfandel. This is a grape that needs plenty of heat and a long growing season to get ripe. California produces the best zinfandel in the country, and Maryhill's 2002 Reserve Zinfandel is right up there with some of the best flavors of zin.

As a zenophile or zinner myself, I would easily question zinfandel from the Northwest. Some that I've tasted are green, meaning that the grapes didn't ripen enough. Not the case with Maryhill - in fact, Maryhill is producing what I would call the new "Washington Zinfandel" - it is not Californian, and it doesn't have to be. It is still true to the varietal, but with a Northwest twist. It doesn't have the same aromatics as the cult Zinfandels that I love, but has a Northwest zing. It features all the berryness, and tastes jammy and chewy, but just tastes a little different - the Northwest factor. They make a nonreserve ($15) and the luscious reserve ($30).

It is also a great Valentine's choice.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

Domaine Ste. Michelle's 1999 Luxe - Made from 100 percent Chardonnay grapes for $23 or less. If you want to just sip sparkling wine with some strawberries, this is a great Northwest choice, with grapefruit, lemon and pear on the nose, and tropical fruit in the mouth. Very sensual.

2001 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve - A Bordeaux blend with aromatics of ripe cherry, raspberry, blueberry in the nose, followed by oak, mocha and roasted coffee in the mouth. This is a seductive wine, and a Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc and other varietals (around $30). Open it early to let it breathe, then enjoy with lamb chops or a filet mignon with a side of mushrooms. Yum.

Copyright c 2005 The Spokesman-Review
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.