This Valentine’s Day celebrate it with a loved one, friends, family and a glass of red wine. This February 14th we have selected out top 6 red wines we recommend for Valentine’s Day. You don’t need to get all 6 since we have different grape varietals and we have picked some quality wines from around the world.

Astica Superior – Syrah (Shiraz) 2011

Cuyo, Argentina
13.5% alc./vol.

This Syrah wine has a dark rich red color with a touch of purple. The nose is both fruity and spicy and has natural tannins. This wine is better known for having a great taste with a stronger finish. Definitely a wine to savor. You can enjoy this wine for dinner with a red meat and vegetables or have it with cheese.
Purplish red in colour, this red boasts a medium nose exuding spicy and fruity aromas. Discover this medium-bodied wine expressing refreshing acidity and offering a broad texture and fleshy tannins. It also unveils a medium mouthfeel that leads into a medium finish.

Picciò – Syrah 2009

Sicily, Italy
13.5% alc./vol.

If you had to judge a book by it’s cover and pick a wine solely on design and presentation, you might end up selecting this fine Italian red wine Picciò. It comes from the Castorani winery which was founded in 1793. This wine is a syrah and has a lighter taste and finish than your average syrah.

Lulu B. – Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2010

Pays d’OC
13.5% alc./vol.

This French wine from the Mediterranean coast is a hybrid of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It has a sharp taste and is a wine you can enjoy in an intimate setting or over dinner and paired with a hearty meaty dish. The winery describes this wine as rich, silky soft and delicious and pairs well with … chit chat.

Marcus James – Tempranillo 2011

Mendoza, Argentina
13.5% alc./vol.

If you are a wine shop this wine might catch your eye for it’s seductive presentation. Although this wine is new it still has a good taste and is silky soft as well. If you like tempranillo grape varietals then you will be pleasantly surprised by this one from Argentina. Like any red wine you can enjoy this with dinner or just before bed. RARW!

Oyster Bay – Merlot 2010

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
13.5% alc./vol.

Although Merlot wines are not as popular as they used to be a few years ago, there are still a lot of fans who love and appreciate this grape varietal. In the last 5 to 10 years, New Zealand has put itself on the world wine map for producing some of the best wines in the world. Oyster Bay is a well known red wine and you will find many good reviews of their Merlot. Keep this wine for after dinner and maybe you will hear her say “You had me at Merlot!”

Altano – Douro 2009

Douro Valley, Portugal
13% alc./vol.

If you are looking to try a different red wine we recommend you sample some of the well known wines in northern Portugal from the Douro wine region. This wine makes for a great table wine and is best to have over a meat dish with vegetables.

800wine.com Wine Club Review

The popularity of wine clubs has grown exponentially in recent years. Wine clubs are a convenient method for purchasing wine, in that wine clubs provide regularly scheduled wine deliveries directly to the homes of wine lovers. Wine club members can normally opt to receive all red, all white or mixed wine shipments. Most members are pleasantly surprised with the specially selected bottles they receive, and many will try a wine they normally wouldn’t have selected for themselves. Additional benefits include access to wines not available locally, including distant wineries, special vintages and international wines. Those who have difficulty choosing tasty wines on their own would also benefit from joining a wine of the month club.

800wine.com provides access to a variety of red and white wines, dessert wines and champagnes to customers who live in states that allow residential delivery of alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are delivered via domestic shippers, such as United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (FedEx). Wines can be purchased for personal consumption or sent to friends and family. 800wine.com also offers numerous wine complements, including bottle openers, pour spouts, stoppers, serving trays, wine totes, picnic baskets, and lead free crystal and glass stemware. In addition to wine products, 800wine.com also sells coffee, tea, cheeses and dessert products, including gourmet chocolates and cheesecake. Accessories for edible items, such as china, cheeseboards and utensils, are available as well. 800wine.com customers shopping for special occasion and holiday gifts will also be pleased to discover the wide array of floral items and seasonal and themed gift baskets.

800wine.com welcomes single orders in any amount; however, joining the 800wine.com Wine of the Month Club provides a substantial value to the customer. Wine connoisseurs will save both time and money on wine purchases, and have access to previously unavailable selections delivered right to their door each month. 800wine.com provides four levels of membership. Customers may enroll in the Wine of the Month Club on a monthly basis, which can be cancelled at any time, for just $39.99 a month. Or, to recognize a savings, members can sign up for quarterly, biannual or yearly increments. A three month membership is $119, a six month membership is $229.95, and a full year membership term is $449.95. Members will receive two bottles of wine each month, along with tasting notes and serving suggestions. 800wine.com customers can purchase Wine of the Month memberships for personal use, or memberships can be given as a gift to someone else.

The French phrase “folie à deux” translated into English means “a passion shared by two”. How fitting the name Folie a Deux is for the Amador County, California winery. Ardent wine aficionados will have no difficulty sharing their passion for the vintages created by Folie a Deux.

Folie a Deux, located in Oakville, California, is an award-winning winery. They have received several favorable reviews and their wines have made the wine lists of many top-notch American restaurants. Folie a Deux warmly welcomes their fans to visit, tour the grounds of the winery and make reservations for wine tastings. The tasting room and winery are open 7 days a week.

The Zinfandels produced by Folie a Deux originate from some of the oldest vines in Amador County. This area of the Sierra foothills in northern California is famous for the Zinfandels produced here. The Zinfandels from Amador County tend to have pronounced, impassioned flavors because of the age of the vines.

The grapes which birthed the Folie a Deux Amador County Zinfandel 2008 were carefully hand-picked. The stems were removed from the grapes, and then the grapes were crushed. The crushed grapes and their juice were cold soaked in tanks for a time period ranging from one to three days. Once the fermentation process began, the tanks were “racked and returned” on a daily basis. In this process, the fermented wine is removed from the grape masses. The “rack and return” process reduces harsh tannins. The Zinfandel was then aged in American, French and Hungarian oak for a period of 14 months. The oak-aging process increases the complexity and bouquet of the vintage.

The Folie à Deux Amador County Zinfandel 2008 is a classic representation of Amador County Zinfandels. Flavors of juicy blackberry, spicy cinnamon and sweet licorice show off initially. It finishes with a bold yet balanced infusion of ripe cherry and plum suggestions along with exotic vanilla and allspice. The finish is satiny soft with a spicy oak sensation. It can be described as strikingly rich and bold with evenly harmonized flavors.

The composition of the Folie a Deux Amador County Zinfandel 2008 is 80% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah and 5% Barbera. There were 18,000 cases produced, each bottle having 14.5% alcohol content. The suggested retail price for each bottle is about $18. Petite Sirah is the most common varietal blended with Zinfandel because it adds interest and complexity to the wine, as well as helping to tone down the “jamminess” commonly associated with Zinfandels. Barbera adds a ruby red color to the blend, in addition to adding softness.

Wine Facts

Vintage: 2008
Varietal: 80% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah and 5% Barbera
Winery: Folie à Deux
Region: Amador County, California, USA
Alcohol: 14.5%

Where to buy 2008 Folie à Deux Zinfandel

Buy online $18 at folieadeux.com

Fanucchi Vineyards’ Trousseau Gris 2006 is a white varietal with a delicately spicy nose and a grassy, piquant, invigorating taste reminiscent of the flavors of winter fruits like melon and pear. Its sugar and acidity make it a perfect companion for nearly all types of food but particularly for white fish and pork. Asian food lovers take note: Fanucchi Vineyards’ Trousseau Gris 2006 is one of the few foods that can hold its own against the hot and spicy flavors of Chinese and Thai cusine.

The premiere American wine magazine Wine and Spirits dubs Fanucchi Vineyards’ Trousseau Gris 2006 “highly recommended,” raving that it consistently stands among the most exciting wines of the year. Trousseau Gris 2006 was the Silver Medal winner in two highly competitive wine competitions, the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2008 Wine Competition and the 2009 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. In an area of the country where wine drinking is something of a religion, these distinctions count for a lot.

About the Trousseau Gris Grape

Trousseau Gris is the French white wine grape that was once known as Gray Riesling in California. The grape originated as a fortunate mutation of the red Bastardo, also called the Trousseau, in the Alsace-Lorraine region of eastern France. In France, the grape is a common sight in the vineyards of the Jura, Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne, but in the United States the only standing block is Fanucchi Vineyard’s ten acres in the cool, coastal Russian River Valley.

Trousseau Gris needs to be treated with delicacy and consideration in order to yield superior wines. It can’t be harvested until its sugar content, called brix, reaches a specific level and then it must be gently pressed. Most winemakers simply do not have the expertise to handle the delicate grape. But master grower and winemaker Peter Fanucchi with over 36 years of expertise knows exactly how to coax this temperamental grape into producing an outstanding wine.

About Fanucchi Vineyards

The Old Vine Zinfandel grapes growing at the Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard in Sonoma Valley’s Russian River Valley were first planted in 1906: It is a fruit that first Peter Fanucchi’s father, and then Peter Fanuccji himself, have literally spent their lives nurturing. But that’s the Fanucchi way – to take a classic grape and to see it through.

Peter Fanucchi has been growing grapes for over 36 years, but in 1992 he began showcasing those grapes for discriminating wine lovers in small barrel batches of Trousseau Gris and Old Vine Zinfandel that each year add up to less than 1000 cases. The Fanucchi brand is synonymous with the American wine revolution, a revolution that pairs the best of old winemaking traditions with the latest in scientific viticultural knowledge.

Wine Facts

Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Trousseau Gris
Winery: Fanucchi Vineyards
Region: Sonomo County, California, USA
Alcohol: 14.2%

Where to buy 2006 Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris

Buy online $18 at fanucchivineyards.com

Chumeia Vineyards, which is located in Paso Robles, California, opened its doors to the public and made their wines available in May of 2001. Set against green, rolling hills and blue skies punctuated with the occasional puffy white cloud, this winery has seen substantial success.

Their most successful vintage to date may be the 2006 Chumeia Vineyards Zinfandel California. It is hugely popular and a wine enthusiast favorite. In addition to Zinfandel, Chumeia also produces Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and more.

The California Zinfandel grape, which is the starting point for the 2006 Chumeia Vineyards Zinfandel California, is somewhat of a mystery. Experts cannot agree upon where it originated. While they believe it is European in origin, they know it is not native to Italy. Zinfandel’s fame definitely began in the United States, where it was introduced in California during the Gold Rush of the 1850′s. Zinfandels are often described as fruity and spicy.

The 2006 Chumeia Vineyards Zinfandel California had a shaky start. The 2006 growing season experienced some extremely cold weather which damaged portions of the vines and caused the vines to produce a smaller than average yield. The grapes that were harvested were also smaller than average.

The 2006 Chumeia Vineyards Zinfandel California’s varietal composition is 100% Zinfandel, the grapes having been harvested in October of 2006. The vintage fermented in 100% stainless steel tanks for fourteen days, which accounts for its light body. After it fermented, the vintage was allowed to age in the tanks for twelve months. Then, it was flash aged for three months in new American oak. The flash age process allowed the tannins to soften and the mid-palate to develop.

The result in this California Zinfandel is a light, evenly balanced and very drinkable wine. Wine tasters will enjoy the experience of the tremendous aroma of luscious strawberry jam. This vintage offers a sweet note of flavorful vanilla intertwined with zippy pepper spice.

The winemaker credited with this vintage is Lee Nesbitt of Chumeia Vineyards. The vintage was bottled in April 28, 2008 and released May 16, 2008.

The total production of the 2006 Chumeia Vineyards Zinfandel California was 800 cases. The suggested retail price set by the winery is $14.

Wine Facts

Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Zinfandel
Winery: Chumeia Vineyards
Region: Paso Robles, California, USA
Blend: 100% Zinfandel
PH: 3.6
Acid: 0.6
Sugar: 26.6 Brix
Alcohol: 15%

Where to buy 2006 Chumeia Vineyards Zinfandel

Buy online $14 at 800wine.com

From the wine maker they say their 2003 Merlot is a rich and supple wine that is complex and elegant with a deep color. Wine advocates should be able to notice a hint of spice and a pepper essence that adds to the wine’s character.

Wine Facts

Vintage: 2003
Type: Red Wine
Winery: St. Supéry
Region: Napa Valley, California, USA
Blend: 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc
PH: 3.66
Total Acidity: 6.15 g/L
Residual Sugar: 0.05 g/L
Alcohol: 14.5%

Where to buy 2003 St. Supéry Merlot

Buy online $24.95 at 800wine.com