Add Sparkle to Valentine’s Day with English Fizz

Wondering how to get the sparks to fly this Valentine’s Day?  In our opinion, nothing lights a fire quite like the sparkle in a good bottle of fizz. 

Valentine’s Day (or any day with your partner) calls for a bit of bubbles. What better way to impress the most extraordinary person in your life than with the out-of-the-ordinary Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, a fantastic example of trending English sparkling wines and a highlight of our February Toasst box. With a racy, medium length finish and zingy salinity, we can't get enough of the notes of crisp green apple, pear, and brioche that yield a fresh, tickling acidity on the palate, reflecting the cooler climate in the south of England, similar to the Champagne region. 

As a delightful alternative to champagne or cava, English fizz makes for a wonderful aperitif and a more forgiving partner for food pairing. Perfect as part of a romantic Valentine’s dinner or for a lovely dinner in with friends, we savor the flinty minerality notes with high acidity, which helps with drawing out flavor profiles in fresh ingredients. Serve with a creamy brie, tossed winter lentil, tomato and root vegetable salad or salmon and yellowtail sashimi. 

For our red lovers, we are excited to feature the Thorny Devil Barossa Grenache 2016, a lovely 100% Grenache from Thistledown, a boutique winery hailing from Adelaide Hills in Australia. Co-founder and winemaker Giles Cooke MW has made it his mission to remake Grenache as the region's elegant version of Pinot Noir and we are lucky enough to be its beneficiaries. It's hard to resist this wine's perfumed nose, chewy cherries and berries on the palate combined with silky tannins, long finish and well-balanced acidity and structure. As with all Thistledown wines, this wine is part of a small batch production with the intent to maximize fruit purity, texture and finesse. 

Simply delicious on its own or a delight with food, this wine’s aromatics offer an elegant nose rather than a ripe juice bomb. With a pleasant acidity and cherry finish, try pairing this or our lovely ( and a bit exotic) Kir-Yianni Ramnista Xinomavro 2015 with braised chicken with grapes and shallots or tender duck breast with lime and pineapple - just an example of few of the recipes available at Toasst.co to help with dinner inspiration for your Toasst wines. We’ve found this “Thorny Devil” to be a versatile red with different shades of Asian cuisine, from spicy peppery beef stir fry to Chinese barbecued meats. 

Of course, the best to open this Valentine’s Day is any wine shared with the one you love. Now that is one pairing we will alway get behind. 

Looking for wine pairing ideas or need more wine? Email us at info@toasst.co and we’ll do our best to help.