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Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, but what if you’re not in a relationship? There’s a special day for you, too. It’s called Galentine’s Day and it’s happening today.
Here with her suggestions for what we should be drinking on both days is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com.
Let’s start with what is Galentine’s Day?
It’s one of those made-up micro-holidays, like Friendsgiving just before Thanksgiving, that’s a reaction against the day that commercializes romance and instead celebrates female friendship and the bond that lasts longer: women and wine!
The comedian Amy Poehler created it in 2010 with the thing that has always brought women together: a long, gossipy brunch plus frittatas.
So which wines might we crack open if we’re celebrating Galentine’s Day?
If you’re coming out of a break-up or divorce, there are many aptly named wines for your tasting, like the Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It’s dry, crisp and refreshing, like the honesty you expect from your best friends rather than the sentimental mush that’s in most Valentine’s Day cards.
Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand
Then there’s Conundrum Red from California, when you’re trying to decide which to burn first: your ex’s love letters or the work files that he couldn’t find when he was moving out.
Conundrum Red
California, United States
You can also go with a lovely Pinot Noir from KIN Vineyards. The winery is nestled on 47 pristine acres on the Carp Ridge, in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, and practises sustainable viticulture.
Kin Vineyards Carp Ridge Pinot Noir
Ontario V.Q.A., Canada
The wine is as smooth as liquid satin or lingerie, if you will, and has less tannin, that natural compound that gives you that furry mouth feeling like eating walnuts. Therefore, it pairs better with milk chocolate than more full-bodied reds. The spectacular wine is bursting with ripe cherry and subtle spice notes.
Pinot Noir is known as the heartbreak grape because it’s so difficult to grow, just like some relationships.
A great alternative is the Fontanafredda Barolo, from Italy with its full-bodied strength and a pleasantly bitter finish. It pairs perfectly with dark chocolate and signing the alimony documents, especially if you had a great divorce lawyer.
Fontanafredda Serralunga d’Alba Barolo
Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont D.O.C.G., Italy
What if we want to lighten up the tone and wine selections, say over brunch?
There’s nothing more celebratory than sparkling wine like the Wander & Found Rosé Sparkling wine that’s also alcohol-free. It’ll pair well with omelettes and quiche.
Wander + Found Sparkling Rosé
Germany
However, if you’re doubling down on the syrup, then go for a sweet wine like the Henry of Pelham Riesling Icewine.
Henry of Pelham Riesling Icewine
Niagara Escarpment, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada
What’s the rule of thumb when pairing wine and chocolate?
Make sure the wine is sweeter than the chocolate otherwise the wine will taste bitter by comparison.
Dark chocolate is the easiest to pair with wine as it has the least sugar and dairy content, and the most cocoa.
White chocolate is the toughest because it’s the sweetest and doesn’t have any cocoa, which is why purists don’t even consider it chocolate.
Do you have a favourite local producer of chocolate?
I do! Hummingbird Chocolate was founded by husband-and-wife team Erica and Drew Gilmour who spent much of their careers working in international development with farmers in countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
They wanted to continue to support these farmers when they moved back to Almonte. So they founded Hummingbird Chocolate, made from cacao sourced directly from farmers at better than Fair Trade prices, grown sustainably, and farmed ethically and humanely. They’ve won over 125 international chocolate awards for their products.
You can find them in many gourmet food stores as well as Farm Boy, Natural Food Pantry and Whole Foods.
You can find the wines that Natalie recommended as well as her online pairing courses at www.nataliemaclean.com/courses.
