The best wines to buy this Valentine's Day according to wine expert Christine Austin

It doesn’t matter if you have been in a relationship or marriage for years, even decades, this is the day that you acknowledge the partnership that shares bills, living space and maybe a garden, a dog and small people who keep you awake at night.

The panic reaction to this impending organised day of romance is to order a bunch of roses, probably red ones, and ring the bistro down the road to see if they can squeeze you into a timeslot when you can eat the set menu and enjoy a glass of overpriced prosecco.

Don’t do this! It is just a nod to the commercialisation of the day of love.

Why not wake up your loved one with a breakfast tray and maybe just a single flower – it doesn’t have to be a rose unless there is a rose bush in your garden that happens to be flowering.

Instead, you could fill the house with masses of daffodils which might be local or at least from the Channel Islands and they haven’t been flown in from sub-Saharan Africa.

You could tell your loved one that you have dinner under control and actually mean it. It doesn’t matter whether you head off to the local farm shop and invest in top quality food or you scoot to the local supermarket and buy a tasty dinner that comes in a box.

All this clears the budget for a special bottle of wine or two so you can pop the cork on bubbles as an aperitif and then move on to a wine that will match your menu. Dining at home means that you can drink as much as you want and put the leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow.

If you plan to open a full bottle of champagne, invest in a champagne stopper that will keep the bubbles in the wine for a day or so.

Do not believe the old tale about putting a spoon in the bottle top to keep the fizz in. That is just a myth. Here are some suggestions for what to choose.

Bubbles

Waitrose Rosé Champagne Brut, half bottle, down from £16.99 to £14.99 until February 16: Bubbles are essential on Valentine’s Day and a half bottle is the perfect size for twosome dining since it contains enough for a glass each and a top up. This is a stylish, flavoursome Champagne with bags of strawberry fruit and a dry finish.

Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut, Aldi £14.99: There are some cheap Champagnes that are just not worth buying but this one consistently comes out top for quality and value.

It is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier and has enough, rounded toasty style to be a delicious aperitif, with enough weight to carry through to starters and even fish or veggie mains.

Leconfield Syn Sparkling Shiraz, Coonawarra, South Australia, Latitude Wine £15.99: An astonishing wine, different because it is a red Australian Shiraz with fizz, but also different because it isn’t souped up with sugar, unlike other wines in this style. Flavoursome, full of raspberry and red plum fruit, edged with pepper, this goes well with steak.

Whites

Marieta Albariño 2023, Rías Baixas, Spain, Tesco down from £13 to £11 with a Clubcard until February 24: A soft style of Albariño, with apricot and citrus notes, and a crunchy sea-salt finish. Perfect with a plate of prawns, crab and lobster.

Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Marlborough, New Zealand, Roberts and Speight, £11.99: Crisp and lively with passionfruit and lime notes, that taste good as an aperitif or with anything fishy.

Vinehugger Chenin Blanc, Organic 2023, Western Cape, South Africa, Majestic £14.99 down to £12.49 on a mix six deal: With the taste of honeysuckle, pears and peaches, this dry, balanced wine goes perfectly with a seafood risotto or pasta and will even partner a lightly spiced curry. It comes from the famously environmentally aware Reyneke winery with grapes sourced from across a number of organic farms.

Rosés

Simpsons Pinot Noir Rosé 2023, Kent, England, 12.5%, Booths, down from £15.75 to £12 starting February 12 until March 11: One of the best English pink still wines made in a Provencal-style in the heart of the Kent countryside. Whisper pale with red berry fruit, edged with lime and grapefruit zest.

Berne Inspiration Rosé 2023, Côtes de Provence, Sainsbury, down from £17.25 to £15.25 with a Nectar card until February 25: Beautiful in its square-cut, almost perfume-like bottle this Provence wine captures the soft wild strawberry flavours of the region with just a hint of herbs.

Whispering Angel Côtes de Provence Rosé 2023, France, Waitrose down from £21.99 to £18.99 until February 16: Close your eyes and you could be in the south of France with this wine. Superb for its gentle aromas of wild strawberry and red cherry fruit, a rounded texture and balanced flavours of red fruits, a zing of pink grapefruit and a creamy finish.

Reds

Unearthed Les Montagnes du Paradis, Languedoc, France, Aldi £7.99: A gem from this delightfully named region, this is a rounded, full flavoured, plum and blackberry-filled wine to partner anything with beef or mushrooms on the plate.

Beaujolais Villages 2021, Jadot, France, Tesco down from £13 to £11 with a Clubcard until February 14: Light enough to enjoy with fish, but with enough weight to pour alongside lamb or chicken. Full of bright cherry and raspberry fruit with a light floral freshness.

Domaine Begude ‘Esprit’ Pinot Noir Organic 2022, Majestic £15.99 on a mix six deal: Made by English owners and sometimes Yorkshire-based James and Catherine Kinglake, Domaine Begude is in the hills of Limoux, so the style is light, with red cherry and raspberry fruit and a fresh, crisp finish.