Here it comes again. That moment of the year when I debate whether to devote attention to Valentine’s Day, or ignore it and not cooperate with a holiday that is, technically, not ours.
And yet, rosé wines in all their festive versions continue to flow to me nonstop. So if there is one occasion that “forces” people to open a bottle, drink wine and spread a little love, who am I to stand in its way.
It is clear to me that I am not the only one recommending, and therefore it is important for me to say in advance: The recommendations here are personal preference only. No matter how pink and festive the version on the shelf may be, my private rosé will always be dry, sharp, and not sweet.
And if you ask me what my preferred love drink is on Valentine’s Day, assuming I do raise a glass, first place is reserved for champagne or any worthy sparkling, and after that a good white wine. All the rest will follow them.
In the end, you don’t really need a reason or an excuse to open a bottle. Maybe the only excuse there is, is not to drink alone.
Recanati, Tel Fares Chardonnay, 2023
I tasted the new Chardonnay from Tel Fares Vineyard of Recanati Winery just a few weeks ago at the Sommelier Exhibition and marked it as a recommendation on the side that I did not want to waste on a not special event. The wine from the single vineyard series, vintage 2023, is in my eyes one of the most successful released in the series.
Even if I thought (even before I tasted) that it would not be my first choice (just because I have been less in the mood for Chardonnay recently), something in its elegance and classicism managed to turn it festive and place it at the top of the list.
It may be the vineyard, it may be the vintage and above all the way they made this Chardonnay, which does not bother with a lot of wood on the nose, that turns it into a simply wonderful wine. The price: NIS 109.
Lallier Rosé Champagne
I am in that period of life when I always feel like having a sparkling available in the refrigerator, and if possible, that it be champagne too. Too bad it does not always work out due to various constraints.
And yet, a bottle that remained with me from the previous holiday of the gentiles, New Year’s Eve, peeked out and reminded me that the time had come to try it. So I tried.
The Lallier champagne brand that arrived in Israel was launched in honor of the holiday also in a rosé version, it is an elegant blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with rich aromas of strawberries and red berries. A light champagne with an impressive presence.
Personally I actually like the brut version much more, which also costs a bit less, but of course that is a matter of taste. The price: Around NIS 300.
Sake in the studio
Carmey Bat Shlomo, Rosé 2025
For some time now I have very much liked the things they make at Carmey Bat Shlomo Winery, and in general their agenda and the vibe that always makes you want to visit there and the surroundings.
The winery’s new rosé (vintage 2025), which is 100% Grenache, fresh and citrusy, is not only very tasty.
The wine is being launched these days in a festive (and even economical) magnum version, with a glass stopper (which eliminates the need for a corkscrew) and it is simply ideal for a picnic or if guests are coming to you in order “not to celebrate.”
The price: NIS 255 for a magnum bottle (1.5 liters), NIS 109 for a standard 750 ml bottle.
