Ben Franks: What was your favourite wine to drink on Valentine’s Day?

As another working week swoops by it’s easy to forget that last week we were drinking fine wines with our better half in a restaurant or snuggled up in front of a film. Sipping a wine in a favourite moment (and with good company) can make good wine wonderful – and great wine outstanding.

So what did you drink over Valentine’s Day? We want to know! Share your experiences and your new favourite wines with us by email or tweet us @BathCoUK or @BenFranksWine.

For me, it was a weekend of quaffable red wine. A visit to Yak Yeti Yak, Bath’s family-run Nepalese restaurant on Pierrepoint Street, had me enjoying their medium spiced set meal alongside a gorgeously juicy and plump Borsao from Spain. A simple table wine but with enough guts and acidity to make an excellent partner to the spicy food, while being just heart enough to match the delicious black chick peas and buttery black lentils. I would recommend both the restaurant and the wine!

Back at home I enjoyed a bottle of Sainsbury’s new Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 that was sent to me previously. It was typical of Chile in the way that it was jammy and fruit-driven, young but perfect to drink now, and all just about gone between two people in under an hour. Some of these Chilean reds are remarkably easy to drink! All the same it was surprisingly versatile with food – we ate both chilli and chocolate that evening. Certainly worth buying at £9 (Sainsbury’s).

We did enjoy one bottle of white wine – the Cave de Beblenheim Pinot Gris reserve. A zippy lime white wine with a juicy pear note and a touch of sweetness and honey on the finish. Lightly chilled and waxy on the palette it made the perfect aperitif wine to sip in the evenings in front of a good show. We’re currently enjoying The Bridge Scandinavian crime drama on Netflix and, if you’re wondering, the Pinot Gris seemed to match the experience well!

So they were my wines over Valentine’s and now I want to know about yours! Give us a quick email and let us know or tweet either @BathCoUK or @BenFranksWine. Looking forward to hearing from you…

Ben Franks

I’m always on the look-out for new wine lists to try and I’m here to help any restaurant or pub who think their wine list needs a seasonal update. For more information or to get in touch about some more of my favourite wine & dine destinations, call Ben Franks Wine on +44(0)7545353147.

For wine recommendations and free-to-view tasting notes visit www.benfrankswine.com or follow him on Twitter @BenFranksWine

Images © Copyright Ben Franks Wine 2016