A Valentine treat for that someone special

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Pink is the colour so often associated with Valentines Day and many lovers choose pink Champagne or a similar fizz to celebrate; yet we are still in the depths of winter, and it’s still cold! How about warming up with a glass of rich, dark sherry made with the intensely coloured and flavourful Pedro Ximenez grape? Sipping this by a fire, with a box of top quality chocolates, is a definite recipe for sophisticated romance.

Sherry has fallen out of fashion to some extent in recent years, and this is a great shame, particularly for those of us who live in cold climates. There is nothing more sumptuous than a full-flavoured, aged sherry to ward off the chill. This example, from famed sherry producers Harveys, has been produced in the time honoured fashion from wines aged in a solera, a system of stacked barrels which are warmed in the sun for literally decades - the wines are gradually transferred as they age and the result is that depth of flavour which has notes of molasses and candied fruit. The original solera for these wines was started in 1919. So, be original this Valentines Day and share a small and perfectly formed bottle (50 cl) with the one you love.

Harveys Pedro Ximenez, Waitrose £19.99 per bottle.

ROZ COOPER: BIOGRAPHY

Roz began her wine career in California, leading wine tours and tasting wines for a wine warehouse near San Francisco. She then ran her own California wine import business in the UK and subsequently became assistant editor of Decanter magazine, then wrote various books on wine including The Wine Almanac. Since then, she has written wine columns in many publications and edited books and magazines, including The Italian Magazine. She’s passionate about green issues including organic and biodynamic winemaking and also works on a voluntary basis with the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

Tags: Wine of the Week