Weltevrede winemaker Philip Jonker Image Jang Yung Joon valentine wines Victor Strugo recommends some seductive wines for the Day of Romance I suppose even tee-totallers celebrate Valentine's Day, but it must be more fun to go a-courtin' to the sound of corks a-poppin'. Here's a selection of recent feel-good wines to capture the mood of a golden sunset, a romantic dinner or a moonlit walk. Take your pick. In fact, take your pink! In keeping up with fashion, Boschendal has released a Brut Rose which bubbles with a perky, plummy blush. I'd like to say it speaks the language of love, but despite its 300-year-old Huguenot heritage, Boschendal has got its elementary French embarrassingly wrong, calling it Le Grande (it should be Grand) Pavilion. Fortunately the bottle's contents are better than its label. Zonnebloem is another classic brand (dating back to the early 18th century) that's enjoying a revival. Their first-ever screw-cap white is the 2009 Viognier. This white varietal with characteristic lightness and delicacy has really taken off in South Africa after two decades of dominance by sumptuous chardonnay and crisp sauvignon. Zonnebloem's Viognier is full-bodied, with orange blossom and tropical fruit nose. Its apricot flavours stand up well to spicy Thai curries but the wine is also at ease with seafood. If foiegras features on your Valentine dinner menu, pair it with South Africa's answer to Sauternes - the world-famous Vin de Constance. Made from unbotrytised muscat de Frontignan and matured for almost 4 years before bottling, Klein Constantia's flagship has earned cult status even in France and this year the 2004 vintage notched up a score of 94 points in US Wine Spectator. Uncorking a bottle of this nectar during a romantic dinner is the wine equivalent of the biggest bouquet of red roses. All of which leads up to a patriotic pinotage that's flying the fashionable flag of moccha-chocolate tones. So strongly influenced is Val de Vie by their new director Bertus Fourie (ex-Diemersfontein) that they have given their new Pinotage an explicitly coffee-nosed name. The inaugural Barista Pinotage 2009 continues Fourie's exploration (started during his oenology Masters in 2001) into fermentation with specific yeasts and maturation in specific oaks to achieve these astonishing aromas, coupled with dark berries and cherries on the palate. If Diemersfontein's pioneering 'coffee pinotage' ignited new passions for a Cinderella grape, the Barista is likely to push borders even further. It's a great food partner and destined to be more than a fad. But beware: although it contains no caffeine, it's addictive. Time for more bubbles? If you thought JC le Roux only makes sweet carbonated plonk, you'll be surprised to know that they were South Africa's first label to produce a Pinot Noir Methode Cap Classique, and their 2007 vintage is a splendid expression of the trickiest of all grapes. Berry aromas yield to ticklish bubbles and toasty throaty flavour with a long, satisfying finish. Yummy indeed, but in the month of romance, you can't ask for more than a wine inspired by love. Joining the rose-tinted bubbly bandwagon, Weltevrede winemaker Philip Jonker dedicated it to his wife. An acclaimed chardonnay specialist, Jonker now has 4 bubblies in his range. The inaugural Philip Jonker Brut was made in 1995 and the first corks popped on his wedding day. As I recall, the cork's crown cap bore an image of his bride. The Lindelize Rose now re-affirms an obviously undimmed love. It's a graceful, salmon-hued wine with rose petal whiffs and a pleasing strawbs-and-cream finish. I expect that, like its predecessors, it is destined for Cap Classique awards. After all, I've never yet opened a bottle of Jonker's wine and not felt Weltevrede - well-satisfied. How to top pink wines and pink bubblies? Well, how about a pink port?! Leading port producer De Krans near Calitzdorp has tailored a pink port to our warm climate using traditional port varieties (touriga nacional, tinta barocca and souzao, but allowing the grape juice only a few hours skin contact before fermentation and fortification. The result has a vibrant blush colour and rich ripe berry flavours, best enjoyed chilled in summer.