Happy Valentine’s week. For this romantic holiday, you’ll want to toast your sweetie with the best, if you are gifting, give the best. This morning on KXAS-TV/NBC DFW at 11 am I’ll share a few options that are ideal for the celebration. Each is quite special, beautifully elegant, ideal for the most romantic day of the year. A link to the segment is here.

More on the wines shared on the show, and a few additional favorites, below. #Cheers

Bubbles are a Valentine’s Day must, with classic Champagne reigning supreme. Champagne Palmer & Co. Blanc de Blancs Brut ($90) melds crisp minerality with lemon blossom, blanched almond, honeysuckle, and wisteria, finishing with a touch of crushed stone and brioche.

For Rose bubble lovers, consider Domaine Carneros Cuvee de la Pompadour Brut Rose ($44), a traditional method, Napa Valley option, springing from the glass with wild strawberry, brioche, watermelon, tangerine, and spice. For an extra special celebration, Domaine Carneros Le Reve Brut Rose ($140) will not disappoint. Available exclusively through the winery, or online, the wild strawberry and red apple-filled sparkler comes from the best blocks of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes on the organically farmed property. With a long aging time, and minimal dosage (less than 1%), the wine allows a true expression of the terroir, celebrating the place it is grown.

Quite fresh, leading with fruit-forward candied citrus and Prosecco is a delicious option, and for the special day, enjoy a premium quality Prosecco Superiore DOCG from Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. The region has recently been declared a Unesco World Heritage site because of its distinct soils, rolling hills, and exceptional terroir, especially for creating quality Charmat method sparkling wines with character. Often with a bit of sweetness, leading with fruit-forward freshness, the Extra Dry options from the region are stellar, including Villa Sandi, Bortolin, and Adami.

Very dry and lively, Sommariva Prosecco Superiore DOCG ($20) is aromatic, vibrant, and crisp, showcasing crushed stone and bitter lemon peel with ripe orchard fruit notes. Founded in 1887 in Valdobbiadene, Mionetto Prosecco Superiore ($20) is floral, fresh, and layered with hundreds of fine dancing bubbles.

Pinot Noir is the red wine I can drink every day. Lush, vibrant, earthy, and powerful, yet fruit-filled, rustic, balanced, and delicious.

The first wine 50-year-old ZD Winery created in Napa Valley was their Carneros Pinot Noir. Today they are known for crafting elevated Cabernet Sauvignon as well, and 3rd generation winemaker Brandon deLeuze attributes their ability to create the opulent wine to the fact that they perfected hard to grow, challenging to produce Pinot Noir, first. Balanced, sophisticated, and refined, ZD Founders Reserve Pinot Noir ($90) for their organically farmed estate reveals black plum, dark cherry, and toasted almond.

From the Drum Canyon Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills, Migration ($70) showcases the influence of the Ocean on delicate grapes, displaying dried rose, pomegranate, and ripe cherry. Textured and complex, Goldeneye Confluence Vineyard Pinot Noir ($86) reveals woody herb, dried flowers, and purple fruit notes.

From Carneros, Donum Estate exudes luxury and elegance, creating wines to match from their organically farmed estate vineyard. Donum Carneros Pinot Noir ($80) reveals Asian spice, hints of dusty earth, wet leaves, and ripe black fruit. From their Russian River Estate ($85) mixing Dijon and heritage Pinot Noir clones, Donum delivers a floral, red and blackberry, and black tea wine.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir highlights a cool-climate earthiness, quite similar to Burgundy, ensuring wines are fresh, fragrant, rustic, and refined. Archery Summit Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($45) showcases the volcanic soils of the region, balancing fruit with earthy mushroom and truffle for a food-friendly wine, perfect for Valentine’s Day pairings, i.e., black winter truffle risotto.

With simply gorgeous fruit, Gran Moraine Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir ($45) is a captivating wine with expressive notes of purple flowers, wild cherry, cranberry, and pomegranate.

A Chehalem Mountain pioneer, Adelsheim Breaking Ground Pinot Noir ($45) celebrates the winery’s long history of crafting premium Pinot Noir from their Mountain estate. From LIVE Certified, sustainably farmed Chehalem Mountain estate vineyards, the wine layers aromas of roasted spice, black and red raspberries, lilacs, anise, and dark cherry.

Cabernet is king, especially elevated options from Napa Valley. Robust, dense, powerful, Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon ($78) from the Stags Leap District melds black fruit with leather, tobacco, and licorice, bringing concentration, and beautiful character to the wine that will warm you from the inside out. With an underlying layer of earthy minerality, Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($80) showcases their Spring Mountain vineyards in a complex, wonderfully structured wine that lingers on the palate long after the glass is complete, revealing black cherry, cedar, and a touch of pepper. Plush, round, and pretty, Alpha Omega Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($106) balances fine tannins with fresh acidity, creating a palate of red and black plum, red berry, dark chocolate, and roasted espresso.

Caspar Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($375/1.5 L btl) is a fleshy, full-bodied wine from the hills of the Rutherford AVA, showcasing leather, dark chocolate, and cassis. Meaning “older sister” Onesan ($35) is the latest wine from Dallas native, Napa winemaker, Beth Adams of Adi Wines. Onesan, the older sister to her gorgeous Adi Rose, highlights a rustic, very dry palate, allowing the Napa Valley terroir to shine through with a balanced palate of acid and tannin, filled with cigar box, tobacco, warm spice, and black fruit notes.

Another Cabernet, wildflower-filled Cabernet Franc, is often considered a blending variety, specifically in Bordeaux. But, when crafted on its own, the wine shines. From three Sonoma vineyard blocks, including high elevation vines on Pine Mountain and Chalk Hill, Smith Story Cabernet Franc ($48) is a sturdy, yet fresh expression if the variety. Aged in French oak barrels for 21 months before the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, allowing the character of the wine to speak, telling the story of the land.