Chocolate Amore

A dessert wine is an excellent way to entice your sweetie on Valentines Day, and so is chocolate. The beauty of the Trentadue Chocolate Amore dessert wine is that it has both. It is a Merlot based, Port style dessert wine infused with chocolate. This romantic and succulent treat is a little more than you may normally invest, but is still very reasonable (around $25). It's what you might say is more of a "special occasion" wine, like for Valentines Day, perhaps. I discovered it at a tasting a few years ago, and it opened up my palate to dessert wines. Absolutely delicious! I'm planning on pairing mine with dark chocolate truffles...

OR

If you're looking for something pink and sparkling for V-Day, don't forget the Cristalino Brut Rose Cava (see my previous entry, Thanksgiving Wines 11-28-08, for details). At around $8, it's the best! I may indulge in this one before the Chocolate Amore...

Carmenere

I am a huge fan of Chilean wines! They are amazing and usually a fraction of the price of comparable wines. I've been drinking Chilean Cabs for awhile now, but recently discovered the Carmenere grape at a wine tasting at the Wine Warehouse in Port Orange, FL. Chile is the only significant source of this unique grape. After the tasting, I was on a mission to find more Carmenere, and surprisingly found the MontGras "Reserva" Carmenere, Colchagua Valley, Chile (2007) at Costco for under $10. It is rated at 90 points by Wine Enthusiast--that is a HUGE rating for an under $10 wine! Upon further research, I discovered that it earned a "Best Buy" designation and is#50 in "The Best Buys of 2008" from Wine Enthusiast. But more importantly, you ask, how does it taste?! This wine is phenomenal, and what really stood out to me was the smokiness that was deliciously balanced with the rich and juicy dark fruit. It is soft on the palate and finish with mocha and subtle hints of vanilla. I paired this wine with barbecued ribs, and it was an excellent match!