Share the love this Valentine’s Day with gourmet wine gifts. We have many unique wine gifts for you making it easy to send your Valentine wishes to that special someone in your life.
Every wondered how this romantic tradition started? Read on….
The tradition of celebrating Valentine’s Day has come about through legends and tales relating to the death of early Christian saints, together with Greek and Roman mythology.
There are debates about the true history of Valentine’s day, the Catholic Church recognising at least three martyred saints named Valentine, and the day has origins in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, also known as the fertility festival.
For thousands of years the middle of February was commonly known for fertility festival celebrations. Lupercalia was originally a sacred gathering of Roman priests that went on from February 13th to the 15th. Part of the festival was the tradition of women placing their names into an urn and men would randomly choose a name to be paired to them for the duration of the festival – often paired couples would marry.
Lupercalia was celebrated until the end of the fifth century when Pope Gelasius declared February 14th St. Valentine’s Day. During the rise of Christianity the festivals were considered a form of paganism and deemed “un-Christian”.
Greek and Roman mythology also feature in the history of Valentine’s Day. The Roman boy god Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love, and Cupid is often associated with Valentine’s Day as the mischievous young boy who goes around sending arrows into his victims, making them fall in love.
Cupid’s Greek equivalent is Eros, the god of love, who is usually shown as an adult male embodying sexual power. The Middle Ages saw the further development of the concept of ‘love’s arrows’ and this idea was featured in poetry and Valentine’s Day traditions, eventually becoming part of the European custom of courtly love.
Medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer decreed the February feast of St Valentinus to be related to the mating of birds. Shakespeare’s love, Ophelia, called herself Hamlet’s Valentine. Chaucer and Shakespeare’s romanticism of the day increased its popularity in Britain and the rest of Europe.
During the Middle Ages it became popular to greet each other on Valentine’s day. By the 1700s, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange handwritten love notes and small tokens of affection. Even King Henry V hired a writer to compose a valentine’s note to Catherine of Valois
Today, people continue to send gifts to express sentiments of love and admiration.
We may be biased, but there is nothing more romantic than sharing an evening of wine and delicious food with the person you love!
While it can be difficult to splurge on a present for yourself, some of the best gifts for wine lovers are those special wines that you simply wouldn’t justify buying for yourself. We have an incredible selection of premium awarded wines to impress your special wine lover. Browse our gourmet wine gifts here.
However you and your special someone spend your Valentine’s Day, we hope it’s a day of love … and wine!
Sparkling
