£14.50, The Wine Society
I’m not sure whether I’m killing two birds with one stone or multi-tasking, but this week’s wine doubles up as one of the best to choose if you want a red wine for Chinese New Year and/or one for Valentine’s Day. Saint-Amour (Saint Love) is one of the ten Crus, the top villages, of Beaujolais, so it bears the village name rather than the Beaujolais moniker and is made to stricter rules – on the amount of wine that can be produced, for example. It has the fresh, juicy suppleness of Beaujolais but its seductive strawberry, rose-petal and pepper flavours are more sophisticated and refined. It works with Chinese food, unlike most reds, because it’s relatively light-bodied, has very little tannin and isn’t oaky (Pinot Noir often works for the same reasons, if you want an alternative).
Domaine Joseph Burrier Saint-Amour Côte de Besset 2013, Saint-Amour, Beaujolais, France
£14.50, The Wine Society, thewinesociety.com