An Italian Valentine's Day dinner

Valentine's Day - 14  February - is among the best-known dates on the calendar: this is a time to  celebrate love and lovers, the perfect occasion to do something special for your sweetheart. A romantic dinner for two that is based on an all-Italian menu and is enriched by a wine chosen for the occasion.
One is spoiled for choice with our range of red and white wines. Furthemore, the Italian food tradition is rich in unique tasty dishes that are ideal for an unforgettable dinner with a loved one. Appetizers, first courses, main courses, and desserts with the unmistakable Italian touch that is known and appreciated all over the world. 
 

Italian aperitif: the perfect sparkling wine 

With very ancient origins, the aperitif  is a well-rooted tradition across the whole of Italy: it is that at the treat the beginning of the meal - a  glass of wine  with appetizers to stimulate the appetite. A great aperitif should certainly be part of a  Valentine's Day dinner  that lives up to expectations. However, choosing the right bottle for the beginning of the meal may not be easy.
Italian sparkling wines are perfect for pairing with Valentine's Day appetizers. For special occasions, here is the elegant sparkling wine "Altinum" TrentoDoc Riserva 2014. A Classic Method sparkling wine that comes from the particularly careful processing of grapes grown in hilly vineyards managed by members of the winery near Aldeno. Around 60% is from Chardonnay grapes, while the remainder is Pinot Nero.  With a yellow colour tending to bright golden, the nose has very intense notes of green apple and pastry. On the palate, it is dry, fresh and structured, very savoury and persistent.

Red wines and meat menus: the ideal combo

For a perfect pairing, you need to evaluate a number of aspects, including the type of meat being used, the cooking method, and the sauces and accompanying spices. Once this is done, all that remains is to choose the red wine to pair with a meat menu! The Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2013 fully represents its land of origin, with noble and ancient elegance. Purplish red with intense brilliant ruby reflections, the wine offers the nose an explosion of aromas from cherry to sour cherry that are well integrated with the elegant spicy notes of various aromatic herbs. In the mouth, however, it gives an immediate warm and velvety sensation, with a fresh finish and fine and measured sensations. The wine's long drying and ageing times require pairing with dishes that have a long cooking time, such as baked veal shank.

Pairing white wine with fish

First courses are traditionally a pillar of Italian cuisine, and they are well known around the world. A fish-based first course can be a risotto or pasta combined with  seafood or with more substantial fish such as  salmon and  tuna.  Among a range of white wines to pair with a fish menu, here is  the "Arjent" Sauvignon Blanc Trentino DOC that is 100%  produced with grapes from Sauvignon. In the glass it has a beautiful straw yellow colour; typical varietal notes such as fig, elderflower, and tomato leaves stand out on the nose. With good structure and balance, this is a wine with great persistence. 

A wine to pair with dessert

Of course, such a special dinner can only end with an equally special dessert and an accompanying wine. From tiramisu to strudel, from caprese cake to Sicilian cannoli, which Italian wines pair best with Valentine's Day desserts? Produced from Moscato Rosa grapes, the "Rosis" Moscato Rosa Alto Adige DOC 2020 is a precious dessert wine that perfectly accompanies a classic apple strudel served with cinnamon and vanilla ice cream. A naturally sweet wine, the Passito naturale di Pantelleria DOC is produced from the vinification of Zibibbo grapes left to dry under the August sun. The wine is pleasantly soft and is perfect with  Sicilian desserts based on ricotta and pastry creams.

Are you ready to surprise your sweet other half? Choose the  wines to pair with an Italian Valentine's Day dinner  selected for you by the Svinando experts!