10 Valentine's Day Food And Wine Pairings

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, you might be starting to plan out a date night for the occasion. While some people love the idea of celebrating at a romantic restaurant, others prefer the intimacy of being at home. That said, if you've decided to stay home on the 14th, you don't have to resort to the same old food and drink you consume all week. Instead, consider being intentional with your food and wine pairing to highlight the date. To guide you in your menu planning for the evening, I've put together 10 food and wine pairings to make the occasion special.

As a Certified Specialist of Wine, I've studied and experimented with the ins and outs of finding the optimal pairings. Whether you prefer red, white, rosé, or sparkling wine, or choose to go heavy on the meat or stick to plant-based foods, I've got some options to bring to the table. To make it even simpler for you in the wine shop, I've included a bottle recommendation in each case, making it easy to choose a dish and buy the accompanying wine. Read on for some delicious food and wine pairings to make your Valentine's Day dinner date effortless.

If you're looking for a cozy dinner option that involves limited hands-on prep work, then roast chicken is an excellent choice. If you want leftovers or like making your own stock, then opt for a whole chicken. But if the thought of cutting it down isn't your idea of romance, then pick up a package of your favorite cut to keep it easy. Speaking of easy, there's no need to get complicated with seasonings. Stick to simple flavors like fresh or dried herbs like thyme and rosemary, lemon, and garlic, and make sure to use plenty of olive oil to keep the chicken nice and moist.

To pair with this comforting meal, a bottle of pinot noir is a reliable choice. It has a fresh acidity and subtle tannins, making it a good match for poultry, which is less fatty than red meat and displays subtler flavors. The wine is elegant with a lighter body, and if you opt for a fruitier style, it'll balance out the herbaceous elements of the dish.

There are plenty of pinot noir options around the world, but to pair with this dish, try a bottle of Cristom Vineyards Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Estate Pinot Noir. As the winery's flagship bottle, it expresses the terroir beautifully, with rose and lavender aromas, notes of blueberry, plum, tart cherry, raspberry, and earth. This bright wine has a vibrant acidity that makes it a perfect accompaniment for food.

If your idea of a perfect date night includes picking up a fresh piece of fish from the fish store or the local wharf, then be sure to plan a stop to pick up your dinner needs. Your choice of fish will likely depend on your location, but look for a white fish like halibut or cod to make a herby fish en papillote. This simple prep method entails placing a seasoned fish filet on a piece of parchment paper or tin foil and wrapping it to make a pouch. Add any other ingredients, like citrus juice, fresh herbs, and quick-cooking vegetables, then seal the pouch and bake. This technique essentially steams the fish with the other ingredients, packing it with flavor and making it effortlessly tender.

To pair with a delicate herby fish dish, try a bottle of sauvignon blanc. This white wine naturally leans toward tropical fruit, citrus, and herb flavors, complementing your meal with ease. The variety is grown in plenty of countries, but you'll want a style that isn't overly aromatic to ensure the food still stands out. Try a bottle of Indra Sauvignon Blanc by Cantina Girlan from South Tyrol in Northern Italy. The vineyards are planted at a higher altitude, bringing plenty of freshness, structure, and minerality to the glass.

If you aren't going out for a meal at a fine dining restaurant, why not lean into a comforting atmosphere at home with a flavor-packed comfort food favorite? Eggplant parmesan offers all the cheesy and saucy goodness of lasagna, but you get a bunch of vegetables in, and it requires less effort than creating and arranging multiple layers. Plus, if you're having a one-on-one dinner, then chances are you'll have leftovers, and there's nothing better than having the option to whip up an eggplant parm sandwich when you don't feel like cooking.

To pair with this hearty meal, you'll want a wine that's sufficiently bold to stand up to all the rich flavors, yet still bright enough to avoid weighing down the components. Nero d'Avola is a great choice, thanks to its medium-full body, fruity flavors, and balanced acidity. The grape variety comes from Sicily, but producers in a few countries around the world have started experimenting with it. Le Vigne Winery in Paso Robles, California, has some plantings, and the Estate Nero d'Avola is just what you need for a night of romance and eggplant parm. The wine features concentrated notes of black cherry, ripe plum, and dried strawberry, along with an earthy, herbaceous, and smoky layer that adds complexity.

Whether you take the time to put together an aromatic curry or decide to call for takeout to make your date night at home even more effortless, it's a definite way to add some spice to the night. There are dozens of types of curries from various countries, so it's hard to generalize specific ingredients and flavor profiles, but typically, the dish is fragrant and savory, and often consists of a rich sauce as the foundation. Meat, seafood, vegetables, and legumes can all form the bulk of the dish depending on your preference, and it's usually served with rice or another starchy base to soak up all the flavor.

To pair with this powerhouse of a meal, reach for a bottle of chenin blanc. Much like curry, the variety comes in numerous styles, ranging from dry to sweet and still to sparkling. France and South Africa are the primary growing regions, but you'll find it in several other countries as well. Tania and Vincent Carême started producing chenin blanc wines in France and eventually expanded to South Africa. Terre Brûlee Le Blanc is their South African take on the grape, brimming with citrus, floral, quince, pear, and ginger notes. Fresh acidity makes it a good match for a bold curry, while subtle oak aging keeps it textured on the palate.

For the ultimate romantic meal, there's nothing quite like sharing a communal pot of cheese fondue. The classic Swiss dish is an upgrade from an ordinary cheese board, and the perfect way to slowly savor your meal. You could keep it simple with a store-bought boxed version, or take it up a notch with a proper fondue set, various types of cheese, white wine for cooking, and an assortment of dipping options beyond bread. Of course, arguably the main food groups anyone needs are bread and cheese ... but some cornichons and vegetables will round it out nicely.

White wine makes an excellent pairing for cheese fondue, offering freshness to complement the rich, weighty cheese. For your Valentine's Day dinner, pick up a bottle of Priest Ranch Grenache Blanc, which has a well-balanced acidity and a crisp finish. The wine is fermented in stainless steel, which helps it maintain a pure fruit character. Notes of citrus, pear, green apple, white peach, and honeysuckle are displayed on the palate, along with a streak of minerality that keeps each sip lively. Paired with your cheesy feast, it's an effortless match.

Skip the steakhouse crowds and pick up a stellar porterhouse cut from your butcher. The cut includes both a New York strip and filet mignon, making it the perfect option to share with your dinner date. You get both the beefy flavors and the buttery textures, which gives you more variety than sticking to a more ordinary cut. Thanks to the bold flavors, you don't need to do much to season a porterhouse. Sprinkle plenty of salt and pepper over top or, at the most, a simple steak rub, then follow these easy tips to grill your porterhouse steak perfectly at home.

Pair this dual cut with a bottle of Bordeaux, which features a blend of grapes for nuance and complexity. Madame de Beaucaillou Haut-Médoc is a great choice, combining merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot grapes. This blend offers elegance to pair with the tender filet and more structure to pair with the meaty strip, complementing each cut. Notes of red plums, dark fruit, cherry, and elderberry linger on the palate, which is heightened by hints of licorice, cedar, and spice. The tannins are silky and fresh, standing up to the hearty cut of beef.

Speaking of comforting Italian foods, whereas pasta is a little too everyday to feel special enough for the occasion, a bowl of risotto brings similar vibes with more finesse. Not to mention, the slow and steady preparation means you'll have time to decompress with your date pre-dinner time. There are countless risotto recipes to experiment with, whether you want to keep it traditional with a simple Parmesan variation or add a gourmet twist with a sprinkling of saffron, like in risotto alla Milanese. It's also a great recipe for incorporating vegetables like squash, peas, asparagus, and mushrooms.

There's definitely a certain richness to risotto, and pairing the dish with sparkling wine helps clear your palate to savor each bite fully. Although Virginia might not be the place you think of when seeking out a bottle of bubbly, winemakers here are increasingly producing top-quality traditional method wines. Case in point, Early Mountain Vineyards in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where vines were first planted in the mid-2000s.

The winery's EMV Brut Sparkling NV is a delicious option to pair with risotto. The wine is made with chardonnay and pinot gris grapes, fermented in stainless steel and neutral oak tanks, and aged on the lees to add complexity and notes of toast and brioche. The wine is fresh and crisp, with notes of green apple, lemon, white peach, and hazelnut.

Depending on your idea of fun, your at-home Valentine's dinner date might double as a culinary workshop. If you and your date love the process of preparing food, then consider making sushi for the evening. While the rolls might not look as professional as the real deal, once you make the rice and slice the fish, you just have to assemble the ingredients onto nori leaves and roll them up with a bamboo mat. Of course, if you want to spend more time lingering after dinner rather than before the event, calling for delivery or picking up your favorite rolls at your local sushi shop is a great alternative.

Riesling is a superb pairing for sushi, combining vibrant acidity with rich aromatics. Domäne Wachau in Austria produces various riesling wines, including several single-vineyard bottlings that showcase specific plots. Riesling Federspiel Ried Bruck is a great match, brimming with notes of stone fruit and apple. The acidity is crisp and lively and accompanied by a streak of minerality, balanced by the wine's fuller body.

A Valentine's Day date night at home doesn't mean you have to spend ages in the kitchen preferring a gourmet meal. Keep it simple by scouring the deli counter for an assortment of cured meats and cheeses to whip up a charcuterie board. Throw in some smoked salmon for a seafood twist, and be sure to load up on olives, pickled veggies, nuts, and dried fruit. Pick up a baguette or loaf of sourdough from the bakery, and scatter in some crackers to mix up the textures. Round out your meal with a simple side salad and you've got all the goodness you could want with minimal effort.

Avoid weighing down your mixed charcuterie board by pairing it with a lighter style of red wine. Frappato grows in Sicily, where it develops sweet, red fruit aromas and hints of baking spice. It's light in tannins and has a medium acidity, which makes it a pleasant match for charcuterie. Azienda Agricola Arianna Occhipinti produces Il Frappato, a well-respected Sicilian wine made with the local grape. Notes of wild berries, sour cherry, pomegranate, and currants bring a fruity character to the wine, alongside hints of stone, earth, and spice that add complexity.

You can't forget dessert when planning a stellar dinner menu, especially not on Valentine's Day, a key occasion for sweets of all kinds. Chocolate is an obvious mention, but how about finishing off your meal with something sweet and delicate, like berries? You could dip them in a chocolate fondue or serve them with chocolate mousse, but if you want to highlight their subtle aromas, consider making the berries the star of the dish. Think strawberry cobbler, raspberry crumble, berry compote with vanilla ice cream, panna cotta with macerated berries — anything to make the fruit stand out.

Pair this fruity dessert with a bottle of rosé wine for a delicious match. There are plenty of styles of rosé, so you'll want one that offers some acidity to match the tart notes in the fruit, yet with sufficient fruity and floral notes to complement them. Stewart Cellars' Sonoma Mountain Rosé is the perfect match, featuring fresh fruit aromas of lychee, Asian pear, citrus, and peach. Aromas of rose water bring a floral aroma to the palate, which is balanced by a saline hit.