Valentine’s Day Guide to France 44

Plate of pink macarons

It’s that time of year again – check out our favorite Valentine’s Day picks below!

The Valentine's Pairing Box

Graphic with a heart shaped cheese and bottle of sparkling wine that says "The Valentine's Pairing Gift Box"

Celebrate Valentine's Day with our brand new Pairing Box! Nothing signifies a special occasion like bubbles, soft cheese, and chocolate, and we're excited to share some of our favorites with you. Enjoy this curated box with a loved one for a perfect Valentine's evening, containing Cowgirl Creamery's Heart's Desire, Argyle Brut Rosé, France 44 crostini, single origin chocolate, and a beeswax candle.

Wine & Cheese Exploration

Sign up a loved one by January 31st and they’ll receive their first box the week of Valentine’s Day! 

Dinner for Two

Our Valentine’s menu this year features a delicious, hand-made dinner for two – including beef tenderloin, roasted vegetables, macarons, and more! We also have individual desserts and cheeses available for pre-order.

For the bourbon lover in your life, we have a couple of special bottles in stock that you can’t get anywhere else! A truly one of a kind gift. 

Romantic Wines by Argyle Vineyards

Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021

Light in color and texture, this Pinot displays pretty watermelon and cherry flavors that ride smoothly over velvety tannins, hinting at mint as this all lingers enticingly.

Argyle Brut Rosé

Brut Rose Willamette Valley 2020

Strawberries and Rainer cherries leap from this Vintage Brut Rosé with zesty acidity, fleshy volume, and strong character. This vintage’s warmth and dryness allowed for us to play with youthfulness through time en tirage, intentionally creating another perspective of approachable Brut Rosé sparkling wine that is ground yet spunky.

Argyle Brut Willamette Valley 2018

A light, airy style delivers plenty of pear and pineapple fruit, keeping the balance delicate and fresh. This shows a refreshing balance, and the flavors persist. An incredible deal especially considering it is a vintage sparkling wine!

Spotlight: Far North Spirits Seed Vault Series Aroostook Rye Single Barrel

Our friends at Far North Spirits way up in Hallock, Minnesota have been up to some pretty interesting projects during the last few years. They are in the midst of a three year study with the University of Minnesota where they are growing different one-acre-plot heritage strains on rye grain. Far North Spirits harvests, mills, ferments, distills, and ages them all in the exact same way. Their process is the ‘control,’ and the experiment is on the actual rye strains themselves. This is a project unlike anything done before on a teeny tiny scale. France 44 only saw a few bottles of a couple of the strains in the past, so when the chance to purchase an entire barrel arose, we had to pounce on the opportunity. Meet our rye strain, Aroostook!

Each rye strain was aged for 18 months in small 15 gallon barrels. The yield for our Aroostook was only 48 bottles! (Talk about taking small production to a new level.) Aroostook is a seed variety released in 1981 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services. The whiskey itself is intensely rye forward, accented by notes of toffee, pecan, Fig Newton, prune, and chocolate. This whiskey is literally one acre of one rye, in one barrel. With only 48 bottles produced, it goes without saying that once it’s gone… it’s gone. Get it while you can!