Valentine’s Day is like Campari and soda: Either you love it, or you hate it. The holiday has the usual built-in tropes associated with Hallmark cards, flowers, romantic dinners and popping Champagne corks. Of those, the bubbly remains my favorite Valentine’s Day stereotype – irrespective of relationship status. So instead of name-dropping and urging you to go get some Cristal or Dom, which will put a big hole on your wallet, let’s instead go the alternative local route through the lens of smaller format packages that allow for portability on a romantic and energizing morning hike, or an in-bed option that will hit the spot.
Stoic Cider Javelina Rosé
($11/375 ml)
Made from local Newtown Pippin apples and blended with red wine, this dark sparkler has tiny bubbles that wake up the palate. The lingering hint of sweetness is a perfect match for most foods, but anything Thai or Vietnamese will fit the bill. Takeout on Valentine’s, anyone?
stoiccider.com
Queen B Sparkling Malvasia
Bianca ($44/4-pack, 375-ml cans)
Years ago, I anointed Malvasia Bianca as Arizona’s aromatic empress. No surprise here with winemaker Maynard James Keenan’s choice for the name. This white wine was fermented with grape-skin contact, pushing it into the orange wine atmosphere. Injected with bubbles via carbonation, it’s tropical, exotic and not sweet at all – perfect for the queen bee in your life.
caduceus.org
Garage-East Sparkling
Breakfast Wine ($11 /12-oz. cans)
Freshly picked Arizona sweet oranges and white grapefruit from Agritopia are added to white wine, then carbonated. This is all a mimosa ever wanted to be. Super refreshing and tart, it can pair with anything from eggs Benedict the the morning-after glow – wink wink.
garage-east.com
