Valentine’s Day is going to be very different for a lot of people this year, but it doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to celebrate it with the one you love.

Like clockwork, February 14th comes every year and with it the day of love, or just strongly like, just in case you haven’t said the L word yet, I’ve picked out all the first date winning sparkling wines for you to look at and hopefully find a bottle that you and your significant other can enjoy on Valentine’s Day.

First Date

The perfect wine to accompany that first date. Nothing too complex and not necessarily a wine that needs to pair with exact foods.

Although this category says First Date, it is the category of love, so any of these bottles can be enjoyed on whatever date you’re on, whether it’s your 1st or 100th, these wines are not too complex leaving you to enjoy each other’s company and the wines pair well with different foods, so creating a more pleasurable meal.

The First Date Trophy Winner is –

Villa Sandi – Nero Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut – Italy

Villa Sandi also won the Sustainability Trophy by Slow Food at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2020.

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Green pears and Granny Smith apple on the aroma.”

Flavour – “A light and fruit flavour with hints of floral and limestone, refreshing and enjoyable.”

This is a perfect winner in the first date category, the judges made a great decision putting this Prosecco in this category, with even Jaime Hilfiger enjoying this bottle live on Instagram:

 

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Villa Sandi produces what seems to be like an endless supply of Prosecco, but without ever compromising on quality, located in the picturesque region of Prosecco, Villa Sandi has a history dating back to 1622.

Gold Medal First Date Winners

Cantine Vitevis – Juliet Rosé – Italy

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Soft candy floss, soft raspberry.”

Flavour – “Soft flavours of creamy raspberry and glazed red fruit sweets.”

Cantine Vitevis has four wineries are in the heart of the Veneto Region, between Verona, Vicenza and Venice. This area has been gifted with volcanic and glacial soil which is particularly suitable for grape growing, also owing to its temperate climate and good exposure to the sun.

The Berici Hills particularly, which originated about 60 million years ago after an upthrust of the surface, have very clayey soil that gives their wines a body; in the Gambellara area the dark, fine-grained volcanic rock helps to exalt its wines with a fine aroma and bouquet; while the soil in the Lake Garda area is morainic, loose and with an abundance of resistant sediment which bestows an intense minerality on its wines.

Fitz – Fitz Cassic – England

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Apple tart and almond aromas.”

Flavour – “Crunchy green apple flavour with lime and almonds.”

Fitz has a truly fascinating story of a British winery pushing through their hard times and embracing them, they couldn’t be called English Sparkling Wine because they used the Charmat Method instead of the Traditional Method, so they came up with Sparkling Wine Made in England, to keep it clear that they were still British, even their name Fitz, is sourced from Anglo‐Norman times, there is so much more to their story which we can find out in our dedicated Fitz – Sparkling Wine Made In England article.

Martincic – Penina Rose – Slovenia

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Red fruit aromas.”

Flavour – “A somewhat dry raspberry tart pastry flavour with hints of subtle strawberry and bold minerals to add into the mix.”

On January 10, 2020, a bottle of Martinčič was chosen by the 24th Wine Queen of Slovenia – Ana Pavlin, she comes from Dolenjska and was crowned in Radenci. Martinčič is ‘happy and proud that the new wine queen has chosen a wine from our cellar-Modra frankinjo’.

VIN.CO – Abruzzo Spumante DOP Rosé Brut – Italy

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Red fruit aromas.”

Flavour – “Darker red berry fruit flavours. Easy to drink.”

VIN.CO is made in Abruzzo, Italy, their goal is to bottle 5% of the total sparkling wines produced in Abruzzo in less than 5 years.

Weingut Jordan – Grüner Veltliner Brut – Austria

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “White floral notes with a hint of peaches in syrup aromas.”

Flavour – “Flavours are delicate with a subtle expression of yellow and green fruits, welcoming citrus acidity and yet an overall smoothness to the tasting experience.”

This Sparkling Wine is from Austria, run by Simone Jordan, the Jordan Wine Estate create a range of wines, from whites, reds, sparklings and rosés to indulge in.

Silver Medal First Date Winners

Bjana – Brut Rosé 2015 – Slovenia

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “White strawberry, soft pink blossom and raspberry on the aroma.”

Flavour – “Ripe raspberries, hints of pastry and red rose petals on the palate.”

In the heart of the Goriška Brda wine growing region, you will find Bjana, a family run winery producing an award winning selection of fine sparkling wines which are matured within Chateau Dorišče, home to one of the oldest cellars in Slovenia. You can find out more about this amazing sparkling wine right here: A visit to Slovenian Sparkling Wine Bjana

Champagne Vollereaux – Cuvée Brut Nature – France

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “A green apple, pink grapefruit, zesty character on the nose. 

Flavour – “Fresh and expressive showing citrus, apples, nuttiness and more. Not overly complex and easy to drink.”

With over 200 years of history, Champagne Vollereaux has a lot of winemaking knowledge, back in 1805, in the heart of Champagne, Pierry and Moussy planted and cultivated their the first vines of Champagne Vollereaux.

Schlumberger – Rosé Brut Klassik – Austria

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Strawberry and raspberry aromas.”

Flavour – “Touch dry, creamy strawberry flavours.”

Robert Alwin Schlumberger. the founder of Schlumberger first got into the wine industry when working at Champagne Ruinart, after he married his wife Viennese Sophie Kirchner, her family wanted her to move back to Austria, that is when he founded Schlumberger,

In 1850 Schlumberger started to get known for its red wines, so to help with the growing popularity, Robert imported the French grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot into Austria for the very first time.

Simonic – Semiska Penina Gold – Slovenia

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Apricots and citrus aroma.”

Flavour – “Green fruits, sweet citrus and yellow fruits on the palate.”

The story of Penine Simonič begins in the late 1990s, where Ivan Simonič decided to focus on making Sparkling Wine, he became the first Sparkling Wine producer in Bela Krajina, the first bottle of Semiška Penina was created in 2000.

Are the gold flakes in the bottle real? What do they taste like? Find out the answers here What Does a Sparkling Wine with 24 Carat Gold Flakes Taste Like?

Villa Franciacorta – Bokè Franciacorta Rosé 2014 – Italy

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Red apples and red berries on the aroma.”

Flavour – “Crisp red berry juice and cranberries.”

Villa Franciacorta is a small medieval village dating back to the 15th century, it’s located in Monticelli Brusati. The Bianchi family owns the brand and has always produced their wines exclusively with grapes from their 37 hectares of vineyards and then the sparkling wines get aged in their cellar that can rest more than 1,000,000 bottles.

Casa Gheller – Prosecco Millesimato 2019 Extra Dry – Italy

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Light and fruity.”

Flavour – “Green fruits on the palate, easy to enjoy.”

The vineyards of Casa Gheller are located in the Trevisan hills in the classic Valdobbiadene DOC area, which is well known for the production of Prosecco.

Bronze Medal First Date Winners

Codice Citra – Rina Passerina – Italy

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Citrus, apricot and white rose petal aromas.”

Flavour – “Light and fruity, mostly soft citrus with hints of apricot.”

Citra was founded in 1973 and has 6,000 hectares of vineyards, that produce four different Sparkling Wines.

 

Skoff – Sauvignon Blanc Reserve – Austria

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Gooseberries, elderflower and grapefruit aromas.”

Flavour – “Gooseberries, citrus and pepper flavours.”

The Austrian winery Skoff has around 60 hectares of vines located on breathtaking land and they expanded their cellar in 1995 using authentic historic bricks. They have two Sparkling Wines available to buy on their website, including the one above.

 

Kmečka Zadruga Krško – Kraljevina – Slovenia

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Cherry, raspberry and blackberry aromas.”

Flavour – “Full of red fruit flavours.”

The Krško Wine Cellar resides in the Dolenjska winegrowing district, impressing since 1928 with quality and premium wines. The Wine Cellar ages its wines in the cellars of the old castle estate, once the home of the Counts of Auersperg.

 

Love will always be in the air when you’re with the one, whether you’re fortunate enough to live together or you have to facetime/zoom this Valentine’s Day, try and find a memorable way to enjoy and remember it.

Happy Valentine’s Day From Glass of Bubbly