Champagne and Romance

Woman on Wine with Amy Reiley

I’ve spoken on the romantic benefits of Champagne everywhere from this column to the CBS Early Show. But I’ve never dedicated an entire Valentine’s issue of Woman on Wine to the aphrodisiac properties of Champagne. Certainly it could be said that any form of alcohol offers “aphrodisiac” properties, but there are aromatic elements in some Champagnes that put them in a league of their own.

Typically found in Blanc de Blancs and Brut Champagnes (and some Sparkling Wines), subtly sweaty, yeasty, doughy aromas are said to replicate the aroma of a female pheromone. Now, the surprising thing is that it is women, not men, on whom this pheromonal effect is most often effective. So if you want to seduce a woman, there’s no time like the present to crack open one of these very special bottles of Champagne!

Champagne and Romance, the recommendations:

Piper-Heidsieck

2006 Brut
This is a lovely, weighty wine with tiny bubbles and a plush, silky texture. Just the feeling of it caressing the tongue could seduce (almost) any woman. Its subtle flavors are of citrus fruit, toasted nuts and freshly baked bread.

Champagne Taittinger
2006 Millesime
Another wine with a beautiful texture, this gorgeous bottling from Taittinger balances freshness and elegance with lovely, lively citrus fruits and biting ginger blended with hints of yeast, almonds and mouthwatering minerality.

Pol Roger
2004 Brut
This is the kind of wine you would drink every day if you could. Its pretty, floral aromas intermingle with a hint of freshly baked brioche. In the mouth it offers substance, there’s almost a meatiness to the robust body. It is sophisticated but approachable with a sensual finish.

Champagne Ayala
2005 Perle d’Ayala
This is a seriously sexy wine with a medley of aphrodisiac aromas and flavors including freshly baked bread, vanilla, smoke and a fine thread of minerality. This is the wine you serve to impress someone who knows their Champagnes.

Champagne Perrier-Jouet
2006 Belle Epoque Brut
Just the sight of a handsome man popping the cork on a bottle of Belle Epoque is enough to do me in. This bottle offers one of the most stunning packages in all the wine industry, but Perrier Jouet doesn’t stop there. The wine inside is a seduction to the tongue. Honey and toast balance bright fruit flavors with a hint of yeasty, buttered toast to finish.