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Valentine’s Day cometh, time for expressing love and affection, although one can argue that should be on your to-do list every day.
The celebration has roots as far back as ancient Rome. It was then called Lupercalia, a day dedicated to Lupercus, the god of shepherds, and aimed at promoting health and fertility. As do many celebrations, Lupercalia-Valentine’s links to seasonal change. In the Northern Hemisphere, mid-February typically marks the end of the coldest nights of winter. Spring starts five weeks later.
The pagan festival fell out of favor with the fall of Rome. In 494 CE, Pope Gelasius I officially banned the festival. Two years later, however, the same pope set things in motion for today’s celebration when he recognized a Christian martyr, Valentine, as a saint. Executed around 270 CE, Valentine supposedly wrote an affectionate letter to his jailer’s daughter and signed it “from your Valentine.”
And then came the so-called “Dark Ages” and Lupercalia and St. Valentine were largely lost in the mists of memory. Until cometh Geoffrey Chaucer and his poem “The Parliament of Fowls” in the 1380s. Wrote the English poet: “For this was seynt Volantynys day, when euery byrd comyth there to chese his make.” His effort may have been an effort to celebrate the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.
Chaucer’s effort inspired others. By the 1400s, February 14th, the day in 496, when Gelasius canonized Valentine, the day became roughly the Valentine’s Day we know today. The story is somewhat muddier, of course. There are three saints named Valentine and the Catholic Church removed St. Valentine’s Day from its official calendar of feast days in 1969 due to lack of reliable information about the saint. That should not stop you from celebrating love and affection on February 14.
Wine, of course, can be part of your celebration. Classic pairings:
• Sparkling rosé. Can be expensive Champagne or the many alternatives. Clever folks will pair the rosé with a dozen roses and note their love always sparkles.
• Rosé in general. Non-sparkling, “still wines,” can still indicate you are still the love of my life.
• Ruby or tawny port paired with dark chocolate is classic.
Tasting notes
• Avaline Rosé, Vin de France: Light crowd pleaser made with cavalcade of classic rosé grapes, led by grenache. $16-20 Link to my review
• Kopke 20 Years Old Tawny Porto: Archetypal tawny made by the oldest Port house in the world (1638 founding). $70-80 Link to my review
Last round
What did the light bulb say to the switch on Valentine’s Day? You really turn me on. Wine time.
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