Johannesburg - Following hot on the heels of Christmas, Valentine’s Day is that lucrative time of year between a frugal January and the Easter bonanza.
Some loathe the day’s cynical commercialisation of relationships and those Hallmark moments, but sentimental types will no doubt succumb to buying flowers, chocolates and costly gifts – even if it’s a hastily bought bunch of flowers at an intersection, lest you be punished with the “picture no sound” treatment back home.
It’s never as simple as popping off an anonymous card. If you want to lay on the charm, you should make a date night of it, too.
You’re on your own with the dinner-date plans, but I have a few recommendations for drinks to set the mood.
Prosecco is Italy’s famed sparkling wine, often preferred over champagne as a less expensive substitute. Produced by the Charmat method, during which secondary fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks rather than in the bottle (as with champagne), the sparkling wine is best drunk young as it does not age well in the bottle.
Its aromas are relatively uncomplicated and fresh, and it’s very amenable to cocktails.
As sales of prosecco have been phenomenal in recent years, it’s seriously sexy right now, too.
Normally made from glera (formerly prosecco) grapes – the ancient variety known since Roman times – the name prosecco derives from the village of Prosecco near Trieste, where the grape is believed to have originated, but DOC Prosecco (Denominazione di origine controllata or controlled designation of origin, the quality assurance label for Italian food products) is made in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
For three generations, the Distelleria Bottega has made some of Italy’s finest wines and spirits. Situated in Bibano di Godega, 45km from Venice, the company is located in a 19th century farmstead where spumante (sparkling wine) and a range of grappa are produced.
Their Bottega Prosecco Brut has a vibrant green-gold deciduous fruit character, which is fresh and flirty. The wine is low in alcohol (11 percent) and low in sugar – a great all-round great accompaniment to many dishes. It also works particularly well as an aperitif, mixed into a cocktail (Bottega Spritz – see recipe at the end). At R169 a bottle, the Bottega Prosecco Brut costs about 50 percent more than local méthode cap classiques, but a lot less than champagne.
Bottega’s Limoncino alla Grappa is a must-try. Limoncello is very easy to make – surf the net, and you’ll find countless recipes for the Italian lemon liqueur, most of which encourage you to turf in vodka with sugar and lemons.
If you’re used to the paintstripper which often passes for limoncello, this Limoncino will taste like a cordial. What make Limoncino unique is that it is a grappa-based lemon liqueur while limoncello is a vodka- or cane-based product. By using grappa as the alcohol base, the drink is far smoother, softer and more aromatic. Made from Bottega grappa and lemons from Sicily, it’s deceptively smooth-tasting and doesn’t give you heartburn, nor grip you in the throat with its astringency. At 30 percent alcohol, it is sweet, slightly tart – a gentle caress rather than a knockout. It’s dry enough to appeal to all tastes and not overtly alcoholic. Made for sipping. It’s classy fun. Sells for R85.99 for the 200ml bottle and R179.95 for 500ml.
The House of Krone based on the Twee Jonge Gezellen farm in Tulbagh, makes some of this country’s best MCCs which they, too, have done for generations, blending the champagne varieties, chardonnay and pinot noir.
Their Krone Borealis Cuvée Brut 2010 and Krone Rosé Cuvée Brut 2010, both superb bubblies, are currently available in attractive embossed boxes so they’re ready-made gifts.
Their MCCs are matured on the lees for three years in underground cellars after which, prior to disgorging, the bottles are packed in wooden turning racks and riddled by hand. Delicious on its own, the Krone Borealis is perfect for oysters, sushi, seafood and creamy pasta.
If a dry pink is more up your alley, the Krone Rosé Cuvée Brut displays delicate red berry fruit and complex finish. Ideal as an aperitif, it is also a classic accompaniment to smoked salmon and sushi. Save some to enjoy with a bowl of fresh berries. Both sell for around R110.
Simonsig, outside Stellenbosch, makes one of the country’s finest, and original MCCs. Their Kaapse Vonkel label has been produced since 1971. You really can’t go wrong here – the estate just keeps winning awards for its still and sparkling wines. Last year they won the Best Museum Class Trophy for the 2007 Kaapse Vonkel .
Kaapse Vonkel was the first cap classique to use all three traditional grape varieties used in Champagne, when pinot meunier was introduced in 1997 – pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. It’s a stylish all-rounder and quite reasonably priced at R95.
Then, on a sweet note: Shannon Vineyards’s Macushla dessert wine is a pinot noir noble late harvest, made in recognition of the Irish ancestry of Stuart and James Downes, owners of the Elgin estate .
Derived from the Gaelic “a chuisle mo chroí” (“pulse of my heart”), the Macushla supposedly “makes the heart skip a beat”. This NLH was produced from two forgotten but botrytised (noble rot) rows of pinot noir which had been allocated for cap classique. James reckons this “pink sticky” is possibly the first ever NLH made from pinot noir in South Africa.
Only three barrels of this NLH were produced in 2012, their second release since 2009.
With a delicate salmon pink hue and creamy strawberry character, the Macushla can also make an ideal gift. If you love pinot noir (and who doesn’t?), you’ll love this gentle NLH. This is the perfect ending to any evening. Serve chilled. Sells for R185 for a 375ml bottle.
Bottega Spritz
2 parts of Bottega Limoncino
3 parts of Spumante / sparkling wine
1 part of soda water
Ice
Half a slice of lemon
Mint leaves
Method: Fill a large long-stemmed wine glass with ice cubes, a half-slice of lemon and mint leaves. Pour in some Bottega Limoncino with a circular movement, to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the glass, add the sparkling wine and finish off with soda water. - Saturday Star