Valentines Day is the sweetest day of the year, so why not show your valentine that you are sweet on them with a bottle of rosé champagne? I love rosé bubbles on Valentines Day because it is the color of pink roses. Here’s some of my favorites available at your local wine shoppe or a grocery that cares a nice variety of champagne: (I started out with the more expensive champagnes, but keep reading to find the less pricey suggestions.)
Veuve Clicquot Rosé Brut Champagne. This cuvée is composed of 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier.
Lively and intense bouquet full of aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry and cherry. A scattering of rose petal nuance, underscored with a slight hint of pepper.
Strawberry, raspberry and red currant flavors with undertones of fleshy ripe peach. $80 range.
Moët & Chandon Rosé Imperial. 40 – 50% Pinot Noir, 30 – 40% Pinot Meunier, 10 – 20% Chardonnay.
Lively intense bouquet of wild strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Floral nuances of rose and a slight hint of pepper and ripe peach.
Strawberry, raspberry and red currant explode on the palate. $70 range.
A fun appetizer to pair with your rosé bubbly on Valentines Day – Toasted Cheese Dreams. Find the recipe HERE. Cut the bread into heart shapes with a 2 1/2 or 3 inch heart shaped cookie cutter for Valentines Day. Delicious and delightful served with Sheet Pan Roasted Red Pepper Soup.
Albert Bichot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé is technically not champagne. Champagne can only come from the Champagne region in France. Crémant wines come from one of eight French regions outside Champagne. Crémant is made with the méthode champenoise (the method used to make champagne) which gives it lots of delightful bubbles. So, while not technically champagne, Crémant can add a lot of fabulous flavor and festive bubbles to your Valentines Day celebration.
Beautiful pink in color with salmon highlights.Berries (blackcurrant, raspberry) on the nose with a touch of citrus, followed by a delectable palate bursting with vivacity and freshness. $27 range. Available locally at Wine Gourmet.
Strawberry Jello Shots made with Grey Goose Strawberry Lemongrass Essence Vodka and served in whole sugared strawberries make a fun dessert to serve with rosé champagne.
Strawberry Jello Shots in Whole Strawberries
Ingredients
- 1 3 ounce box strawberry jello
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup Grey Goose Essences Strawberry and Lemongrass
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier (or triple sec or Cointreau)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 50 large strawberries
- sugar, for rimming
- key lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat water in a saucepan until just simmering.
- Reduce heat and add jello. Stir until gelatin has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add vodka, Grand Marnier and lime juice. Stir to combine.
- Place jello mixture in a one cup liquid measuring cup.
- Prepare strawberries: Use a strawberry corer or sharp pairing knife to cut the stem from each strawberry and hollow out a bit of a cavity to fill with jello.
- Shave a tiny bit of the strawberry off the bottom end so the strawberry will sit up straight.
- Place the strawberries on a baking sheet, hollow side up.
- Carefully pour the jello mixture into each strawberry.
- Cover strawberries lightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill and set for 3 hours.
- Just before serving, place sugar on plate. Roll the top of each strawberry in granulated sugar and garnish with a key lime slice. Serve cold.
One of my favorite pairings with champagne is potatoes! Here’s my recipe for White Truffle Shoestring Fries that will be fabulous served with rosé champagne on Valentine’s Day.
White Truffle Shoestring Fries with Vindaloo Curry Powder Ketchup
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- 1 large metal bowl
Ingredients
- 1 26 ounce bag frozen shoestring French fries
- 3 tablespoons white truffle oil
- 2 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups ketchup
- 4 – 6 teaspoons Vindaloo curry powder (available at the Roanoke Natural Foods CoOp or on-line
Instructions
- Set up racks in oven to the upper middle and lower middle positions. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make curry ketchup: Combine ketchup and 4 teaspoons vindaloo curry powder in a bowl. Taste curry ketchup and if not hot enough for your taste, add 2 more teaspoons vindaloo curry powder. Cover and refrigerate until service.
- Spread out fries evenly on two baking sheets. Place one baking sheet on upper middle rack and one baking sheet on lower middle rack. Bake fries for 6 minutes.
- Switch baking sheets from the upper rack to the lower rack and the lower rack to the upper rack and turn each of them 90 degrees (flip back to front).
- Bake fries an additional 6 minutes. Fries should begin to brown and turn crispy. If not crispy enough, bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Once the fries are baked, immediately transfer them to a metal or heat-safe bowl. Drizzle fries with 2 tablespoons of the white truffle oil and half the Parmesan and parsley.
- Place fries in serving bowl and top with remaining white truffle oil, Parmesan and parsley.
How about some SEX for Valentine’s Day?! A lovely sparkling rosé from Michigan. Read my tasting notes and the hilarious way SEX got it’s name HERE. $20 range.
Crispy Parmesan Artichoke Hearts served with Stonewall Kitchen Lemon Herb Aioli is a fabulous appetizer to serve with a Blanc de Blanc Champagne. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is an excellent choice, with lemony notes, smooth and creamy. $80 range.
Crispy Parmesan Artichoke Hearts
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce can or jar quartered artichoke hearts – water packed
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Tajin Seasoning
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Stonewall Kitchens Lemon Herb Aioli , chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Drain quartered artichoke hearts and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place artichokes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and Tajin seasoning. Lightly toss to coat artichokes with oil mixture.
- Place the artichokes face down on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until artichokes begin to brown.
- Flip the artichokes with tongs or a fork and cook another 10 minutes.
- Remove artichokes from oven and let cool for a few minutes.
- On another large baking sheet, portion out 1 teaspoon mounds of Parmesan cheese, so that you have 30 mounds of cheese.
- Place a quartered artichoke hearts, face side down on a mound of Parmesan. Repeat with the rest of the artichokes. (do not use parchment or foil on the pan)
- Bake artichokes for 5 – 7 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and crispy.
- Serve artichokes with lemon herb aioli.
