Wine is the preferred gift for Valentine's Day, beating out chocolate or
flowers as the way to your loved one's heart, a recent poll of Ontario consumers suggests.

Eighty per cent of consumers who responded to the poll selected wine as
the preferred choice for a Valentine's Day gift. The online poll asked the
public to choose between wine, chocolates, flowers or none of the above.

Flowers and chocolate are also favoured.

"Wine can be a very romantic gift," says Zoltan Szabo, a well-known
Toronto sommelier, "A nice bottle of wine demonstrates that you have put some thought into the gift and it's also something you can share which is also romantic," he added.

On a more practical side, you can still purchase a great bottle of
VQA wine for less than the cost of a dozen roses and it has fewer calories
than a box of chocolates.

Szabo sugessts some top Ontario quality wines for Valentines Day.

- A shimmering, glimmering rosé! The colour of love itself, bold and beautiful.

- Riesling, light and fresh and appetizing.

- Oak aged Chardonnay, plush and vanilla scented.

- Gamay or Pinot Noir, vibrant and sexy.

- Cabernet Franc, juicy and funky.

- Icewine, with the colour of 24k gold, the scent of honey, peaches and
apricots, luscious and seductive.

If you really want to make an impression for Valentine's Day, you can
take your partner on a romantic getaway weekend to wine country. Several
wineries are hosting events on the weekends prior to and after Valentine's Day including a special "Seduction of Wine Seminar".

___________________________________
On the Net: www.winesofontario.org 

 Other news