This week Tipping's Tipples suggests ways to put some fizz into Valentine's Day.

In two weeks' time, the shops will have sold out of scentless forced flowers, over-priced heart-shaped foil-wrapped chocolate and tacky teddies tattooed with LOVE. Fortunately there will still be plenty of nice bottles of sparkling wine out there to share with that special person. And wine doesn't triple in price just because it's Valentine's Day.

If you really want to see each other through rose-coloured spectacles this February 14th, you could opt for pink champagne. Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose is a fine example. It's salmon pink in colour and deliciously light. It is very delicately flavoured with hints of strawberry and vanilla. There's a lovely noseful of freshly baked, crusty bread too.

And can anyone explain to me why "She", the woman from Queen's 1974 rocker, Killer Queen, "kept her Moet et Chandon, in her pretty cabinet"? In the Tipping's Tipples household, an all too rare bottle of champagne is lucky to get an hour in the fridge before the fizz fans devour it.

Incidentally, I've received some top tips, for drinking and serving the French fizzy stuff, from the Champagne Information Bureau.

It should be chilled for at least four hours before serving and after opening should be kept in an ice bucket.

Open at an angle of forty-five degrees twisting the bottle, slowly letting the pressure build, while holding the cork.

The champagne should sigh as the cork leaves the bottle and with luck, not a drop will be spilt. Drink from a tulip shaped glass to keep the bubbles in longer. The glass should be held upright as you pour. Allow the champagne to settle before topping up but don't fill the glass more than two-thirds full. Hold the glass by the stem to avoid warming the wine.

And this from the Tipping's Tipples Information Bureau: do not belch loudly after the first glass, it tends to ruin the romantic moment.

If you're strapped for cash you could try a less expensive bottle of fizz. Cava now outsells all other sparkling wines worldwide, including champagne. There again, I'm sure Ford outsells Rolls Royce. I tried Cuvee 21, produced by Parxet (pronounced Parshet). The nearest stockist I could find was Harrogate Fine Wines where it is available for £6.99. It's lively and quite dry. Citrus and apple flavours leap out with the bubbles. Definitely not bland, like some cavas I've tried. But champagne it is not. As they say, you pays your money and you takes your choice.

If you're giving chocolate to your loved one you might just consider a red sparkling wine to wash down all those cocoa solids.

One such fizzy and romantically-coloured example is Wyndham Estate's Bin 555 Sparkling Shiraz. It should be chilled slightly before drinking, three-quarters of an hour in the fridge is about right. It is then perfectly suited to sip with your favourite chocolate.

The bright red froth, created when pouring the sparkling shiraz, makes for a gruesome spectacle, the sight of which would be enough to excite the taste buds of any nearby vampire. The froth soon subsides leaving a smooth and not overly sparkling wine. Some of the unique character of the shiraz has been lost along the way, I reckon, but it's a lovely drop nonetheless.

Here's to all you wine lovers!

Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose, rrp £25.99 at Budgens, Safeway, Sainsburys and Tesco

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splash-out for your Valentine

Parxet Cuvee 21, £6.99 at Harrogate Fine Wines

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crisp flavoursome cava

Wyndham Estate Bin 555 Sparkling Shiraz, £7.99 at Morrisons

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goth froth

Updated: 14:21 Tuesday, April 20, 2004