What is Valentine’s Day?  Traditionally, Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated each year on February 14.  Originally, it was a minor Western Christian feast day to honor at least one, if not two, early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It has since evolved, through folk traditions, into a significant cultural and religious celebration of romance and love throughout the world.

In these modern times, St. Valentine’s Day has turned into a commercial tidal wave in which restaurants, retail outlets, florists, greeting card manufacturers, and chocolatiers benefit from a marketing campaign designed to make you believe that your love for your significant other can only be measured by spending as much money as you possibly can in order to profess your undying feelings for them.  It’s pretty ingenious. This time of year, many find themselves with a new-found windfall as their Federal tax returns have just arrived.  Marketing firms know this and are ruthless in their attempts to relieve you of as much of that newly acquired wealth as possible. 

But, what if you’re single? Maybe you recently broke up with your significant other.  Maybe you’re newly divorced or maybe you enjoy being single because you’ve discovered that this is the lifestyle for you.  The marketing campaigns designed for couples tend to alienate those who are not in a relationship.  The odds of you finding that special someone, if you’re looking, are exceedingly small. There is an undocumented dating moratorium that goes into effect sometime after Halloween.  This is the time of year when finding a new someone traditionally ceases.  Apparently, the pressure of gift giving associated with a newly acquired significant other is too extreme.  Not to mention, holiday events that necessitate meeting the families of your new person are frequently awkward at best.  The moratorium ends sometime after the new year, leaving you with just a few weeks to find someone new before Valentine’s Day.  The sense of awkwardness doesn’t subside and the pressure to find the perfect person is quite daunting.  So, what do you do?

I’ve discovered over the years that happiness comes from within.  Loving yourself is paramount to the happiness that you desire.  On Valentine’s Day, do the things that couples do by yourself.  You’ll find that if you’re comfortable in your own skin, you can have just as much fun as those commercials suggest—there will just be one less person to please.

I’ve sent myself roses at work on Valentine’s Day. I like flowers, so why not?  I love the expressions on co-worker’s faces when the roses arrive.  They don’t have to know that I sent them to myself.  The stories that they make up in their minds are probably better than the stories I could come up with.  Take yourself out to dinner.  Eating alone isn’t a bad thing.  What’s better than enjoying an amazing meal with the person you love?  Good food is good food.  And it’s even better when you’re with the person who you love the most—yourself. My favorite Valentine’s Day dinner took place in the late 1990’s.  I was on a business trip in a city that was thousands of miles from home.  I decided to take myself out for dinner because I hate room service.  Because it was Valentine’s Day, the only seats available were at the bar.  I took a seat and ordered my meal: Tuna Tartare as an appetizer and the Surf and Turf special for dinner.  I ordered a glass of Champagne to pair with the first course and a bottle of Rioja to pair with my main course.  I was enjoying my appetizer when a couple sat next to me while they waited for a table to clear.  While they sat near me talking about their day, my entrée and the bottle of wine arrived.  The woman looked at my meal and blurted out, “…he got the special!” This immediately led to an argument between the two and the woman stormed out before they even got seated.  I continued to have a great time, but they clearly did not.  The expectations of the day always seem to overshadow the reality of the moment. 

I don’t always go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day, however.  I usually end up working, so over the years I began the custom of getting a really nice bottle of sparkling wine to drink whenever that horrible shift ended.  Since I’m technically a Sommelier now and this is a wine related post, below is a list of my five favorite sparkling wines to enjoy on Valentine’s Day.

• 2007 Billecart-Salmon “Cuvée Elisabeth” Brut Rosé Champagne

On the nose, there is a refreshing expression of citrus peel and red berry jelly with a rich and complex aromatic note of roses, cherries, and white peaches. There are soft hints of wild strawberries and spices can also be detected. The palate displays delicate flavors of mandarin, blood orange, and apple tart.

• NV A.R. LENOBLE BRUT NATURE

This wine is bone-dry with layers of complexity.  Stone fruits, fresh baked pie crust, and toasted hazelnuts appear on the nose with a mineral driven, mouthwatering palate. The salinity of the wine lends itself equally as well to oysters and pomme frite with aioli.

• NV Taittinger “La Française” Brut Champagne

This wine has a subtle, pale gold color with fine, persistent bubbles. It is delicate, with aromas of peach, white flowers, vanilla pod, and brioche on the nose and flavors of fresh fruit and honey on the palate.

• NV CRÉMANT DU JURA ROSÉ, DOMAINE ROLET

A nice steady pink color, brilliant copper reflections, fine bubbles with good persistence. Delicate notes of morello cherry that is slightly vinous and fresh. The palate is intense with a touch of energy that is lively and pleasant.

• 2016 Lambrusco di Sorbara Spumante DOC Metodo Classico ‘Brut Rosso’

The nose is very inviting with fragrances of raspberries and juicy wild strawberries mixed with subtle citrus notes.  This wine has incredible dark fruit flavors.  It has a nice dry finish, good persistence, excellent harmony and is balanced with acid and salty flavors. The finish is clean and leaves you wanting more.

I’m notorious for saying that sparkling wines pair well with life.  The five wines listed above are some of my favorites now that I’m living my best life.  If you’re single like me, don’t fall victim to all the Valentine’s Day hype.  Treat yourself.  You won’t regret it.