In honor Valentine’s Day, the #worldwinetravel wine writers are writing about wine and love. Host Deanna Atk, of Wineivoire, offered the following prompt:

Choose a wine from anywhere in the world that speaks to your idea of Valentine’s Day, whether that’s romantic, platonic, nostalgic, or purely about loving what’s in your glass right now. Share your story, pairing, and/or the juicy details about your wine.

The entire existence of Side Hustle Wino is based on a love of wine. I hope that my articles have conveyed that on some level. Is it the proclivity of each bottle being dependent to some degree on the fate of things out of human control? Each vintage dependent in large part on Mother Nature, creating a mystery as to how the grapes will develop and represent themselves in a wine. An exciting new beginning with an unknown ending full of hope.

Human beings love a new beginning, don’t we? I think maybe we also love an ending. The beginning of a new chapter is so exciting, but closing a chapter can also be so satisfying. Maybe because we are glad to see it go, or maybe it is bittersweet, something we really don’t want to see it end. Wine gives us this year and after year.

I personally believe that each bottle of wine is like a little time capsule that brings an opportunity to revisit a point in time. The closest thing to time travel that we can experience. I have written many times about the scene in the movie Sideways where Maya spins words into the magic, talking about the utter humanity, that exists in every bottle:

I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing.

How the sun was shining, if it rained.

I like to think about all the people who tended, and picked the grapes, and if it’s an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now.

I like how wine continues to evolve. Like if I opened a bottle of wine today, it would taste different than if I opened it on any other day,

because a bottle of wine is actually alive, and it’s constantly evolving and gaining complexity.

That is until, it peaks, …., and then it begins it’s steady and inevitable decline.

I hate this movie, but this one scene gave me goose bumps. Too dramatic? Maybe. But what is life without a little drama? I’ll tell you what it is, it’s boring! I think everyone, from the growers to the end consumer, we all have this in common. We are in love with the new beginnings, the endings that are inevitable, to the romance, and the beauty, and yes the magic that results in the delicious thing we love to pour in glass called wine.

We are drawn to this natural cycle, on some very basic level, and we inherently know that all living things are connected to it. So we show up at wineries and sip wine overlooking vineyards, because it makes us feel a part of the amazing, wild, beautiful, and sometimes heart breaking results of the natural cycle of life.

I always say that I have learned more about chemistry, geology, history, geography, and humanity through the study of wine than I have learned through any other form of education, and it is 100% true. I never cared about rocks or dirt until I discovered that it affects the taste of what’s in my wine glass. Geography was never my forte, but I am much better at it now thanks to the study of wine.

I don’t mean to imply that I have this sort of communal reverence for every bottle of wine I drink. I certainly do not. Sometimes I am just enjoying the moment and the fellowship of friends. And that too is the magic of wine. It brings us together. Wine can also assuage the heart. I know I am not alone (at least Lord Byron agreed) when I say that a glass of wine has often helped me change my perspective on dealing with something sad, or awful, of disappointing.

I once read a book called A Drinker With A Writing Problem, by John Turi. In it he says the following:

We celebrate weddings, anniversaries, holidays and funerals with alcohol. For thousands of years, beer, wine and spirits have played an important part in the rituals of civilization. Ships are christened with champagne, Irish whiskey is poured on the graves at Irish burials, and beer festivals cheered every October.  This is who we are as people; we raise our glasses and hail the occasion and, with merriment, we rejoice. And sometimes, more solemnly, we toast someone’s passing. In good times and bad we pay honor with booze. — John Turi

For better, or for worse, I find this to be absolute truth and it gladdens my heart. I know some might not feel the same way, but even a teetotaler can’t deny the history.

I will never tire of the subject or wine. The learning, exploring, traveling, imbibing, all of it, I hope to do it until my inevitable demise. Which I do hope is many, many, glasses of wine in the future. As the Kenny Chesney songs, everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to go right now. Cheers to that.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I am going to share a wine that truly changed my wine drinking life. I decided to open a bottle from cellar for this article, my official love letter to wine. I have only experienced this wine a handful of times because it is quite the splurge. My first taste came from an enomatic machine in a grocery store in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Yet another unexpected and completely magical wine experience.

Domaine de Chevalier|2019 Blanc|Pessac-Leognan|13.5% ABV|$100

Domaine de Chevalier has been in the hands of the Bernard family since 1983. The Bernards have a long history of wine and spirits trade in Bordeaux, beginning with Lucien Bernard in 1928, distilling Brandy. Now known as the Bernard Group, the fourth generation is at the helm. The company is involved in every aspect of the wine and spirits trade, as wine growers, wine makers, wine negociants. They are the family behind Millesima, one of the world’s largest online wine retailers. They are the Bordeaux family that you might not have ever heard, but who are an incredibly important piece of the region’s wine and spirits industry.

In the time since 1983, the estate has undergone a complete renovation to bring state of the art equipment and practices , while still honoring the history of the wine and the estate which dates back to 1650.

In 1650 when the property was first purchased, it was referred to as a Domaine, which simply meant that the property included a family home, and a farm that cultivated wine grapes, along with livestock and other crops. The first family of record was the LeLanne family, headed by a man named Jehan de Lelanne. According to the Domaine’s website, Monsieur Lelanne was called Chevaly and thus began the name that would eventually become Domaine de Chevalier. I think it is interesting that most wine estates in Bordeaux are Chateaux and not Domaine. I tend to think of Domaine in relation to Burgundy. C’est tres interresant.

Domaine de Chevalier is located in the capital of the Graves region, Leognan. The estate has only 7 hectares planted to the white varieties that comprise this wine – Sauvignon Blanc (70%) and Semillon (30%). This results in only 18,000 bottles produced, compared to the 100,000 bottles produced of their flagship red.

The grapes are hand harvested in small crates to avoid smooshing, and in 2019 the harvest occurred in several waves between September 3rd and 19th. The grapes are barrel fermented, aged in oak (35% new) for 18 months, and undergo batonnage for 4 months, which is the stirring of the lees with a wooden stick. Thanks to an awesome Technical Sheet, (I love a good technical sheet), I can tell you that the wine was bottled in June of 2021.

The wine is a beautiful pale gold in the glass, almost translucent in certain lights.

I love a wine that is so aromatic you are almost afraid to sip it because it seems unlikely that it will taste as good as it smells. I got aromas of stone, butterscotch, peach, honey, citrus. There is a floral note and salinity.

Literally every single one of these notes carry over to the palate. Perhaps the most amazing thing is the how the incredible acidity is so perfectly balanced with the creamy texture of this wine. It has a luxurious mouthfeel. Just yum.

Read more stories on the love of wine from my fellow wine writers by clicking the links below! And please share your favorite wines with me in the comments.

Happy Valentine’s Day. 💜

• ‘Fair Verona and the Romance of Valpolicella’ from Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles 
• ‘Pretty in Pink: Wines and Small Bites from Around Italy’ from Camilla at Culinary Cam
• ‘J’aime partager le vin et la vie avec vous’ from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• ‘Valentine’s Amore: Sharing Luigi Righetti Amarone della Valpolicella’ from Jennifer at Vino Travels
• ‘Chef’s Private Dinner at our Resort in Mexico’ from Terri at Our Good Life
• ‘J’aime partager le vin et la vie avec vous’ from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• ‘Valentine’s Day Wines: A Wine for Everyone to Love’ from Deanna at Wineivore