Why is wine so romantic?

As we near Valentines Day, many of you will start to think of gestures and experiences to demonstrate your love for your significant other. Among those iconic images are roses, chocolates, and date night. For most of us, this will involve wine at some point either before, during, or after the meal.

There is no doubt that wine is considered the most romantic of all beverages. Why is that? Well for one thing, it’s been around for thousands of years. Some might say it’s because of how alcohol reduces anxiety and enhances our openness to one another. But I believe it’s more than just history and inebriation that make it the beverage of choice when it comes to romance.

One possible reason is that wine is associated with the “good life” and is emblematic of enjoying the finer things in life, something desired by all cultures and all socio-economic groups. One can certainly appreciate this aspect on their own, but we know that wine is best enjoyed when it is shared from a bottle. The “good life,” just like wine, is best enjoyed with someone else. I have heard so many stories, particularly since the Covid epidemic, where many couples felt the high point of each day was the time they sat down together to connect with each other over a bottle of wine.

The critic out there may say, “Wait let’s not forget that wine is just fermented grape juice.” To which we would reply “Wine is more than that, it’s sensual, just as your relationship is not just a practical partnership, but rather it too can be sensual.”

Now we could delve in to the numerous nuances of wine’s sensual aspects from color to aroma to taste to mouthfeel. There are too many to go over them here in this space, but its numerous nuances are much like romance. What we mean by that is that the romance between a couple is as personal and as difficult to articulate as the intricacies of the experience of wine. Wine, like a couple, has its’ own special feeling or experience that is unique to each couple.

Wine is that special beverage that can be similar from bottle to bottle but experienced in a way that is uniquely different for each couple. The pop of the cork, the aromas, the taste explosions of flavors and the lingering notes are experienced uniquely by each couple.

Each sip brings a slightly new and different sensation much like how a romance changes and evolves over time. Think of all the different ways sommeliers and critics try to describe the experience of wine. Beyond the typical descriptors of fruitiness and floral aspects of wine, you will read or hear how a wine is shy, luxurious, seductive, sexy, charming, or elegant.

Our Valentine’s Day wish for you is to open a bottle with your loved one and tell them why this wine mirrors your romantic relationship.