Valentine’s Day is a very special day, dedicated to love. As my husband once told me, though, “Everyday is Valentine’s Day.” I thought it was his excuse for not caring about the assigned day for “lovers.” His saying of “Every day is Valentines Day,” as I came to learn, is that it’s an infinity commitment, not a calendar marking. He won’t make one hold be the only day he’s a passionate lover. (Very cool.)

[PHOTO:  Lukas Gojda]

Still, some of us do occasionally enjoy the calendar’s marking, also knowing that every act of love all year long is still a Valentine’s Day moment.

Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers… This  lovers’ festival dates from at least the fourteenth century. Imagine… Blessed are those who find true lovers and true love.

Sparkling wine (of any kind) is escribed to this lovers’ day

Champagne, Sparkling, Brut
~ All bubbles in a bottle

Does anyone else feel it’s easier to digest food, with this sparkling wines’ carbonation?  It settles my stomach, I’m not sure about yours. I just  know my body that well. And… I love bubbles. So, I looked up: “Is Champagne good for digestion?” Sure enough!

“…But champagne is king of the health drinks!” Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby

Champagne is packed with polyphenols, which are antioxidants from the grapes. They help protect your brain and your heart, keep your blood pressure low, and increase the “feel-good” chemicals in your brain.

As it turns out, champagne is very healthy.

Champagne gives you the same amount of antioxidant heart protection as red wine, and way more than blueberries and most fruits, increasing heart muscle energy production, and protecting your heart’s cells from free radical damage.

Lots of reasons to continue from yesterday’s theme

This is still Valentine’s Time To Shine

 

PREFACE ~ SAMPLES

  1. HEART ~ THE WINERY: This information came from the wineries’ notes.
  2. SCIENCE ~ WINEMAKING ~ From the winery.
  3. SOUL ~ Jo’s Musings

 

Ferrari Trento Brut

HEART

Ferrari Trento has been awarded the title of “Winery of the Year 2019” by Gambero Rosso (Italian food and wine magazine) “for the amazing quality across its range and for its constant promotion of Made in Italy around the world.”

 

According to Ferrari Trento, the main reason for this choice is the obsessive search for excellence, which has been leading every single activity of the winery for more than a century. The aim has always been to perfectly express the vocation of Trentino and of its mountain viticulture to produce outstanding bubbles. Gambero Rosso’s focus on the quality for the whole range awards Ferrari’s careful work of research and development, which has led the winery to create new Trentodoc bubbles in the last 20 years. Every new label is at the same time distinctive and

SOUL

There is no way to say this any better than my initial thoughts on Instagram:

#notetoself ~ I don’t care how excited you are to see the Italian Brut arrive, let Ferrari Trento Brut rest for more than an hour; any time, ever again. You had it so right: you covered the top with a towel, you felt for its pressure point, inched it up carefully, and guided it out of the bottle, but didn’t account for how much pressure those tiny bubbles felt – as they popped into the room. A tiny angle’s share after, and a memorable opening, as the yeast aeronautics burst in, like a spring breeze. Dry, delicious, and delightful… the total package. Very enjoyable…

 

BRUNO PAILLARD ~  CHAMPAGNE HOUSE… WHERE ELSE?

Extra Brut Première Cuvée MV from Champagne Bruno Paillard, SRP $50

So, I got to acquaint myself with  the fruit of Bruno Paillard’s  labor. It was pre-Christmas, and I knew I could open this sample and experience it. Santa wasn’t yet watching. These bubbles were just exquisite. It made me want to set the table with Limoges for dinner that evening.

SIDEBAR REMINDER: Champagne AOC ~ Appellation d’Origine Controlée (AOC) ~ From Champagne.fr ~ The AOC designation links a product with its geographical origin and makes it subject to rules of production and manufacturing. It expresses the close link between a product and its terroir, coupled with the decisive and enduring impact of human savoir-faire.

HEART

Bruno Paillard: Captivating person of wine, from his BIO:

Bruno Paillard is not a businessman who created a Champagne house: he’s a man who created a House to make the Champagne he loves. Bruno Paillard is a part of his Champagne’s DNA, creating a highly personal expression. He makes the blends, nosing and tasting over new 250 base wines each vintage. Comments daughter Alice, who now shares in  the decision-making process: “He has an excellent nose.”

SCIENCE/WINEMAKING

But there is … reason for cellaring these wines: well-made champagnes have an exciting, ever-changing, long post-disgorgement life, evolving through the era of youthful fruit, then flowers, spices, biscuit and finally to the mature elegance of honey and candied fruits after a decade under cork. To indicate where the wine is in its life-cycle, Bruno Paillard states the disgorgement date on each bottle. Today it is fairly common practice, but Bruno Paillard was the first in 1983 – and for nearly 20 years the ONLY producer to provide this valuable information. One reason Paillard did so was to counter the widely-held misconception that champagne under cork cannot age. But, older champagnes taste delicious!

 

SOUL

Sigh… A work of art via alchemy… the yeasty aromas, the zippy bubble rushing toward the daylight after a slumber of all slumbers… It was just what the Pleasure Police ordered. Champagne, oh Champagne… How I love thee, Bruno Paillard, for what you do. You’re bubbles are ex

When I finally got to process my image on Instagram, there were my hashtags: #Champagne #BrunoPaillard #HappyChineseNewYear #Solushandlovely #creamy #verydelicious #Sample #gratitude

Just every lovely description imaginable, this was a very fine moment. Highly Recommended.