When I think of celebrating Valentine's Day, my choice for wine is Champagne, which to me conveys romance. While I still recommend Champagne for your celebration, an alternative might be dessert wine.

Dessert wines are pure nectar from the gods and can be served before or with coffee and dessert. I prefer the former; it gives you a chance to sit back and relax with a friend and just enjoy the good conversation and wine. If you want something sweet to finish the meal but do not feel like having a rich dessert, the wine can replace it.

Selecting the right dessert and wine combination can be a challenge. If the wine is not sweet enough, the dessert can make the wine taste flat. If the flavor intensity of the wine is too subtle, most desserts can overpower it. Also consider acidity. Some dessert wines do not have the proper balance of acid and sugar, leaving a cloying aftertaste.

If you are in the mood to try something different for Valentine's Day, we have some dessert wines as another choice.

RECOMMENDED

VERY GOOD (85-89)

2004 Hogue Late Harvest Riesling - Columbia Valley ($12.99, PLCB Specialty 10077):

Delights the senses with delicate floral and white peach aromas. Our taste buds are treated to delicious riesling fruit flavors with an off-dry citrus and mineral finish. Match with almond cookies. With only 4.5 percent residual sugar, this off-dry wine can be served with a main course like broiled flounder.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

OUTSTANDING (90-94)

2004 Quady Essensia - California ($21.99, PLCB Specialty 10037):

Quady Winery produces one of the top dessert wines in California. The Essensia is produced from the rare orange muscat grape. Although it had a reputation for producing a quality wine, it is not widely planted in California because of its low yield. This wine is a brilliant golden yellow with aromas of orange blossom and ripe apricots. It is rich and sweet with exotic dried apricot flavors and finishes with a nice balance of acidity. Enjoy with a white chocolate mousse. If you still want Champagne, serve what I call "Essensia Splash." Fill a fluted Champagne glass with equal parts of Champagne and Essensia.

2003 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port ($83.99, PLCB Specialty 10553/ $44.49 375 ml, PLCB Specialty 10552):

Taylor Fladgate is one of my favorite vintage ports and consistently one of the top ports for each vintage year. Their 2003 release is a powerful wine with a deep ruby/purple color and aromas of sweet blackberry, dark plum, blueberries, licorice and spice. The opulent berry fruit flavors and licorice component make you think that you are drinking a fruit liqueur instead of a wine. Needs another 10 years to reach its peak and will hold for decades. For a classic match, serve this with Stilton cheese at the end of the meal.

As impressive is the 2003 Fonseca Vintage Port ($83.99, PLCB Specialty 10551) with its rich cassis fruit aroma and flavor.