8 Ways to Seduce With Wine This Valentine’s Day

NEW YORK, NY -- Jan. 19, 2005 -- If you aim to make pulses race this Valentine’s Day, head straight for one of these savvy strategies, derived from the award-winning Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine (Penguin Books):


1) Rose (pink) Champagne: Its color blushes with excitement, its bubbles tickle the palate, and its price -- high because of its scarcity -- says that you care enough to pour the best. Try Veuve Clicquot, Billecart-Salmon, or Laurent-Perrier.

2) Red Burgundy: If chosen carefully, a bottle from the Burgundy village of Chambolle-Musginy (especially the perfectly-named “Les Amoureuses”) or Volnay can coat your tongue with more velvet than the walls of Mae West’s bedroom.

3) Chateau Calon-Segur: Tailor-made for seduction, this red Bordeaux features a lover’s heart -- fat and curvy like a child’s drawing -- smack in the center of its label.

4) St. Amour or Fleurie: These well-named Beaujolais wines are also well-priced, at under $15 a bottle, and they are irresistibly light and fruity. Go for Duboeuf, Drouhin, or Jadot.

5) Shellfish with Rich White Wine: Whether it’s lobster with Meursault or crab-stuffed avocado with California Chardonnay, this creamy pairing has a long history of making lovers reach for the “Do Not Disturb” sign.

6) Prozac-co Smoothie: Mix Prosecco (the Italian bubbly, try the Zardetto), vodka, and lemon sorbet together in a blender, serve in a champagne flute, top with fresh mint.

7) Chaucer’s Choice: Gently simmer a light red wine with a small amount of honey, nutmeg, and cinnamon (based on the medieval spiced wine called hippocras).

8) Cleopatra’s Bliss: Drink a cold glass of late-harvest dessert wine in a hot bath of powdered milk.

Winner of the 2004 Duboeuf Best Wine Book of the Year, Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine may be sampled by visiting http://www.markoldman.com.

Author Mark Oldman will be hosting “Seduction By Wine: A Pre V-Day Primer” on February 2nd at Evviva! restaurant in Manhattan. For details, please see: http://www.markoldman.com/?wine=5&view=24

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