Cremany du jura, phillipe michel

Valentine's night is arguably one of the worst evenings you can choose to go out for dinner – over priced, over crowded and over imbued with expectations. Instead, I'm going to advocate staying at home with one of these cheap and cheerful options, leaving you more cash to spend on getting that perfect gift for the love of your life.


Cremany Du Jura, Phillipe Michel, €9.99


Impress your valentine not by how much you've spent on bubbly, but on your ability to pick out a real gem from a relatively unknown area in eastern France.


This bubbly is made from Chardonnay grown in the foothills of the Jura mountains which straddle the border between France and Switzerland. It's made in the same traditional way as Champagne and spends 24 months resting in its bottle to gain richness and complexity before hitting the shop shelves.


Lovely pears with a creamy mousse and crisp lemon zest. This delivers both on taste and in the wallet.


Available from: any of the 74 Aldi stores nationwide


Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut, €12.26


I've picked this for one reason. It featured in the provocative Wine Trials 2010, a US book which describes an experiment where cheap wines were pitted against rather expensive bottles in a series of blind tastings.


A majority of tasters preferred this cava over expensive Veuve Cliquot and Dom Pérignon champagnes. Putting populism aside, I think it's worth trying on just this basis. I haven't tried it yet and that's essentially my point. I'm setting readers the challenge of forgetting and judging this one by its taste alone. Besides, you'll be able to give the above example as evidence of being able to spot a nice wine without the placebo effect of price.


Available from: Tesco


Eysium Black Muscat from €13.99


Elysium in Greek mythology is "paradise ? the condition of ideal bliss". Sounds perfect for your valentine. I tried this recently with the winemaker, Andy Quady at the Californian wine fair. Heavenly scented with rose petals and lychees, Elysium is perfect accompaniment for dessert. Great with cheese, with (or on) vanilla ice-cream, an particularly good with chocolate. Just don't forget the candles.


Available from: Stoneybatter's Drinkstore, Wines on the Green, Gibney's Malahide and other independents.


Lar Veale runs Irish wine blog, sourgrapes.ie