Whether you’re spending this Saturday dining in or out, snuggling up on the couch with a loved one, a roommate or a pet, feeling sweet or bitter, you’re probably going to pour yourself a glass of wine.
A nice glass of wine has become a staple of every romantic, candlelit dinner as well as every quintessential girl’s night or quiet night in with a book or Diane Keaton movie. Forget the box of chocolates, cosmopolitans or pints of ice cream usually associated with the aforementioned evenings. We want wine.
And so, as Valentine’s Day approaches, it doesn’t matter if you dread or welcome the holiday, as long as you’ve got a nice bottle of wine to keep you and whoever you’re with company.
Each year, business journals predict the booming sales of wine for the week leading up to Valentine’s Day (usually at least 1.6 million bottles of sparkling wine alone). Why? Because wine is the ultimate mood setter, romantic or otherwise. What’s more bright eyed and optimistic than bubbly? More relaxing than a savory pinot noire? More intense than a dry but sensuous malbec or merlot?
But this year’s Valentine’s Day is special. Not because Saturday is a more indulgence-friendly day of the week or because it’s scheduled to snow chocolate truffles (although, if the latter were true, we’d recommend pairing that with a light cabernet or tawny port). This year’s Valentine’s Day is special because this year is special. According to the Silicon Valley Bank, 2015 is on track to be a “breakout year” for the U.S. wine industry. Wineries are blossoming everywhere, but the demand is befitting of the supply. Skolnik’s cost and environmentally efficient stainless steel wine barrels are enabling the creation of smaller indie wineries and new experimental blends, winning over the craft/small-batch loving millennial. And, according to SVB, loyal wine drinkers have officially recovered from the recession and are open and ready for more expensive wines.
Yes, it seems that 2015 is a ripe year for splurging. With love or loneliness in the air this coming Valentine’s weekend, splurge we will.