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Lockdown. Grey skies. Home schooling. Seeing pretty much the same people every day in their tracksuit bottoms. There is no getting away from the fact that life is tough right now. And while it might feel like an effort to muster some enthusiasm for Valentine’s Day this year, showing someone you care can have huge mental and physiological benefits for both of you.
Giving and receiving even small gestures of love and affection releases something in our bodies called oxytocin, commonly known as the ‘love hormone’. This clever chemical makes us feel calm, encourages a sense of connection and trust, and has even been shown to reduce physical pain and lower our blood pressure.
Whether you’re marking February’s festival of love with your significant other, sending someone a little something to show you care, or even giving yourself a well-deserved high five for getting through another crazy week, here at Lyme Bay Winery we’ve got just the thing to cheer your heart this Valentine’s Day.
Fruity be’gin’nings…
If you’re looking to impress a new love, or put some pep in the step of your current squeeze, our Lyme Bay Pink Grapefruit Gin is just the fruity ticket.
This mouth-watering gin bursts with the flavours of pink grapefruit, orange peel and lime alongside the more delicate botanical aromas of juniper and elderflower – the crisp flavours mirroring the freshness and energy of new love.
Serve straight up over ice or inject some fizz with your favourite tonic for a luxurious G&T.
For the honeymooners…
The patron saint of love, the name Valentine comes from the Latin word valens meaning strong, robust, or healthy – much like the powerful properties long attributed to mead.
The perfect Valentine’s drink, mead is rumoured to have aphrodisiac qualities and was historically presented to newlyweds to enjoy during what we now call their ‘honeymoon’. In fact, because drinking mead was thought to ensure a fruitful union bearing plenty of children, a bride’s father included a month’s worth of mead in her dowry.
While we can’t guarantee such results, we certainly like to think that our smooth and sumptuous award-winning meads will perk you up. Here at Lyme Bay Winery, all of our meads are made from fermented honey – which is the main source of sugar in the fermentation process, rather than grape juice which many other producers rely on. Our honey blends include polyfloral honey from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and a small amount of English honey, carefully selected to give the unique rich, caramelised character our meads are known for.
If you are unsure of where to start our Traditional Mead is sweet and full-bodied with rich, deep honey flavours and a moreish honeycomb finish, and makes a great introduction to mead.
A Rosé by any other name…
For those of you for whom Valentine’s Day drinks mean a glass – or two! – of something bubbly, our classy Sparkling Rosé made from Pinot Noir grapes boasts a bright, fruit-driven palate of wild strawberries, pepper and redcurrant with a richness of honey and hints of brioche and almond.
A vibrant soft pink with steady fine bubbles, this multi-award winning pink fizz has not only wooed the wine writers, it also won the People’s Choice Awards for Best Fizz in 2020 and 2019 (and is a finalist again this year!). With hints of wild strawberries and redcurrants and a rich honey tone, this classy English sparkling wine will certainly impress your Valentine
If you’re more of the strong, silent type, our Pinot Noir Rosé (2018) is a complex wine offering up intense aromas of cherries, rosehip, strawberries and cream – the epitome of romance. Created from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, this delightful still rosé from 2018 is another award winner and a particularly good vintage, as that year’s incredible English summer meant we had the pick of the crops from an excellent grape harvest.
Order drinks online in time for Valentine’s Day
You can order these and all of our other delicious and expertly crafted drinks online, as well as by getting in touch with our lovely Winery team via email at [email protected] or by calling us on 01297 551355.
We really miss seeing you all in person in our Winery shop, so do keep in touch with us on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages, and let us know how you have celebrated Valentine’s Day with your loved ones this year.
