10 wines to celebrate love

Whether you like it or not, the heart-shaped merchandise and sappy greeting cards are out in force at this time of year.

We’re here for the only part everyone really enjoys, however – sharing great food and wine.

Ahead, find 10 wines for celebrating love whenever you feel so inclined – whether that’s with your one and only, a group of close friends, or just enjoying a glass on your own (you’re worth it).

• Catlin Wines Cheese and Kisses Single Vineyard Adelaide Hills Fume Blanc


Hoping for a bit of skin contact? This wine is wild fermented on skins for three weeks, then pressed to French oak and matured on lees for seven months. An unorthodox approach that has imbued this fume blanc with an extra layer of texture and flavour, and a strong sense of place. A perfect choice for an evening of wine, cheese and kisses.



• Cape Mentelle Margaret River Rosé


A bright salmon-pink rosé packed with juicy red fruit, stone fruit, floral and mineral aromas. This wine is ideal for sipping on warm nights and will pair handsomely with finger foods like an antipasto platter or Vietnamese rice paper rolls (a great way to go since eating with your hands can make for a more intimate experience).



• Shingleback Kiss Me Kate Adelaide Hills Chardonnay


With hints of fig, oatmeal, fennel, and white flowers, this flavoursome wine will make an elegant accompaniment to date night. And if that involves dinner, it will be a versatile match to everything from roast meats to creamy pasta dishes.



• Mount Mary Yarra Valley Quintet


With its warm hues, seductive aromas, velvety textures, and lush flavours, red wine and romance often go hand in hand. This one, with its mix of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot, is the ultimate Bordeaux blend.



• Big Easy Radio Funtime Fountain McLaren Vale The Montepulciano & The Sangiovese


This meld of Italian reds montepulciano and sangiovese features firm, frisky tannins, plus a parade of succulent fruit from sour cherries to darker berries – an ideal pairing with red-sauce dishes.



• Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvee


If you’re thinking classic, classy and a little bit special, then you can’t beat a bottle of Bollinger. Exceptionally easy to drink, a quintessential symbol of celebration, and fantastic with food, it’s worthy of any occasion.



• First Drop Wines The Matador Barossa Garnacha


Why not spice up your evening with a Spanish varietal? Grenache or garnacha, as it’s known in Spain, is a mouth-filling red with warm spices. If you plan on impressing with your culinary expertise, it will go nicely with game or grilled meats.



• Pizzini King Valley Brachetto


Bubbly, pink, and with a bouquet of mulled strawberry, musk sticks and gummy bears, this easy-drinking wine will add a little fun and sparkle to your date. It also has lower alcohol content, making it perfect sipping material over a late-afternoon picnic.



• Carillion Wines Loveable Rogue Skin Ferment Orange Vermentino


This refreshing white wine with lemon-sorbet acidity is a lip-puckering kind of style. Italian whites make an excellent match to all sorts of summery dishes, and given the skin-fermented style of this one, it has even more potential at the dining table.



• Penfolds Great Grandfather Rare Tawny


For something sweet and delicious to round out the evening, try a fortified wine full of burnt toffee, Christmas cake and raisin flavours. It pairs gorgeously with vanilla ice cream and fudgy brownie, perfect for treating yourself or a loved one.