Food

John Wilson: For your St Valentine’s dinner, three bottles to fall for

Wines for the Weekend: Prosecco, Viognier and Pinot Noir, plus lots more easy-to-find options

St Valentine’s Day wines: Costellore prosecco, Laurent Miquel Solas Pinot Noir and Les Beauchamps Viognier

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John Wilson
Fri Feb 12 2021 - 11:00

Today, a look at bottles for your St Valentine’s dinner this weekend. Sparkling wine is great for creating a sense of excitement, but an entire bottle between two people might be too much.

Aldi seems to be covering all angles here, with quarter-bottles, half-bottles and full bottles of prosecco, as well as spumante, frizzante and organic prosecco. Alternatively, SuperValu has Graham Norton prosecco for €10, and McGuigan frizzante for the same price. Dunnes has a good organic prosecco for €11.50, as well as its excellent Lombard champagne (€45); it is offering 25 per cent off all sparkling wines from until St Valentine’s Day, on Sunday. Lidl’s wine ambassador Richard Bampfield MW suggests going for its Comte de Seneval champagne (€19.55) or Allini Prosecco Spumante Conegliano (€12.77).

Moving on to still wines, Lidl also has New Zealand Winemakers Pinot Gris (€7.99), and I would be tempted by its Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir for a very reasonable €9.99. O’Briens has Albiano Verdicchio dei Castelli for a very reasonable €12.95, as well as the supple, rounded Château de Fleurie for €19.14. From Aldi I would suggest Specially Selected New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (€9.33) and Roussellet Pinot Noir (€7.63).

If you fancy something designed specifically for St Valentine’s Day, Dunnes Stores has the Torres San Valentin wines at €7.50 (reduced from €12.50), and O’Briens has Romeo & Juliet sparkling prosecco (€14.95, down from €25) and Romeo & Juliet red (€12.95).

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Costellore Prosecco Spumante DOC
€10.81, Aldi
Light and refreshing with lively peaches, green apples and lemon zest. Perfect on its own, or with nibbles before dinner.

Les Beauchamps Viognier 2019
€10.95 (down from €14.71), O'Briens
Beautifully balanced textured apricot and peach fruits with a refreshing acidity and crisp finish. Try this with prawns, salmon or scallops.

Laurent Miquel Solas Pinot Noir 2019
€9.84, Dunnes Stores
A very stylish Pinot Noir with soft, juicy red and dark cherry fruits. Perfect with grilled salmon, duck breast or lamb chops.