I love champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and fresh-cut flowers. They are like the trifecta of the heart (a horse racing bet that pays out big-time). So, of course my Valentine's Day must include all of the above. Whether my Valentine's bouquet is loaded with daisies, carnations or roses it matters not, because I enjoy all the delicate, enticing aromas of the flowers. I also love bubbles, champagne in particular. Not that I need another excuse to drink champagne because I drink it throughout the year, but it does help to excuse my over indulgence of gooey chocolate-covered strawberries while sipping away at those tiny bubbles. Pass the napkins, please; I am in love.

My desire for chocolate, strawberries, champagne and flowers is shared by many couples on Valentine's Day, and though I believe flowers go well with everything, not all champagne tastes delicious paired with chocolate-covered strawberries. Wine writer Harvey Steiman wrote in the most recent issue of Wine Spectator that he recommends avoiding champagne completely on Valentine's Day. He stated, "Bad news for romantics who want to serve champagne and chocolate on Valentine's Day, I'm afraid. ... Do yourself a favor and save champagne for other purposes."

What were you thinking, Harvey? And yes, you should be afraid of losing just a little more creditability with all of us women who will in fact, enjoy champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries on Valentines Day. This won't be the first or the last time I disagree with Harvey Steiman, but in all fairness, he was referring to a dry-style brut champagne and not the delicious sweeter dessert champagne called demi-sec. He also did not mention anything about delicious, ripe, juicy, plump strawberries, and that the combination of demi-sec champagne and strawberries is the secret ingredient for champagne and chocolate to become a perfect pairing.

A rule of thumb when pairing desserts or sweets with wine is that you want wine at least as sweet as the dessert. A dry wine will become drier when paired with something sweeter. That is why Harvey states that sweet chocolate or even bittersweet chocolate does not go well with a brut (dry) champagne, because the sweetness in chocolate will make the dry champagne taste even drier.

A demi-sec champagne contains a higher percentage of grape sugars (called dosage) than a brut champagne does. This sweeter style of champagne brings out the sweetness and delicate fruit flavors of the strawberries and keeps the bitterness of the chocolate in check. The sweetness of the strawberry is balanced by its natural high acidity. Unripe strawberries taste bland because the fruits' acid is much higher than the sugar levels. But when you get a perfectly ripe strawberry (Napa Valley, in May, has the most delicious, vine-ripened strawberries), it is exquisite because the sweetness and the acidity in the strawberry are perfectly balanced.

The fruit and acid in a demi-sec champagne are also perfectly balanced. So when you have wonderfully sweet strawberries and a delicious demi-sec they come together harmoniously and effortlessly. Like every perfect pair, it is all about bringing out the best in each other.

Strawberries and chocolate are great partners because the acid and fruitiness of the strawberry matches well with the sweetness and creaminess of the chocolate, again a nice balance of sweetness and acidity. One of my favorite sweeter champagnes is Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Demi-Sec champagne, about $49.99. It displays rich aromas of ripe Golden Delicious apple and poached pear with citrus candied flavors and typical notes of brioche and toast. It has a nice, elegant mouth feel with fine bubbles and mild acidity.

But if you prefer chocolate without the strawberries or believe Harvey and subscribe to the idea that one must avoid champagne and chocolate, I recommend (and so does Harvey) that you try a tawny port. The flavors you find in tawny ports match perfectly with chocolate especially if you love chocolate turtles or chocolate with nuts and chews. Tawny port is amber with nutty flavors like almond or pecan and delightful butterscotch or caramel notes ... yummy! Though you might be tempted, it is not recommended that you dip your chocolate in your glass of tawny port. The older the port, the more expensive it will be. Complex flavors start showing through after about 10 years of aging. I love Graham's 10-Year Tawny Port for $35 a bottle.

Now, I've talked about love, desire, how to find your perfect match, and how not to let anyone tell you there is something wrong with your taste no matter how qualified they are — I guess that just about covers everything you need to know about Valentine's Day.

Our shop, The Wine Stop at 1809 S. King St., will be hosting a complimentary tasting to explore the combinations of chocolates and wines, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday or 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.