Mike Tipping suggests some wines perfect for Valentine's Day.

Wine comes in at the mouth

And love comes in at the eye;

That's all we shall know for truth

Before we grow old and die.

William Butler Yeats 1865-1939

The Green Helmet and Other Poems 1910, A Drinking Song

Poetry isn't my specialist field but the above seemed an appropriate prologue to Tipping's Tipples, which this week is for all you lovers out there.

The following five wines would be just fantastic to share on Valentine's Day. But if my research is anything to go by, then it's a fair bet that you wouldn't even consider the first four. Why? Because they are all ross.

Last month I conducted a small opinion poll of journalists at the Evening Press, to gauge wine preferences. OK, journalists hardly represent an accurate cross-section of the community but most are accomplished drinkers. My preconceptions, of the results, were confirmed when out of the 30 wine drinkers that responded, nearly half stated that they would avoid ros wine.

I wonder how much of this reluctance to indulge in the blush stuff is rooted in previous experiences of sickly sweet examples popular in the Seventies and Eighties?

I think dry ros is great. It's very versatile, pairing with a wide range of foods, it is also excellent as an aperitif. Here are a couple to charm and satisfy any wine lover.

Chateau de Sours Ros 2003 is a 100 percent merlot ros, from the Bordeaux region. It goes without saying that Bordeaux is better known for reds but this wine certainly doesn't let the side down. A darker shade of pink than most, it benefits from fruit overdrive. Dry flavours of rosehip, strawberry, herbs and spices abound with lingering finesse.

Or indulge in a vibrant pink 100 percent cabernet sauvignon ros from Chilean producer Santa Rita. Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon Ros 2004, from the Maipo valley has floral fragrances with strawberry, raspberry, melon and grapefruit zest. A little effervescence and spicy notes add to the vibrancy of the wine which is beautifully dry.

My survey also contained a poser with Valentine's day in mind. Six in ten respondents chose Champagne as the ideal wine to share with a soul-mate on February 14. Only one of those thought the choice should be Champagne ros. I'm sorry folks, but in my view pink champagne and Valentine's Day were made for each other.

Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Ros Brut costs a few bob but comes in a natty box and is sure to impress. Salmon pink and beautifully delicate, this fizz has subtle, fruity aromas and strawberry ice-lolly flavours without the sweetness. Sherbet lemon notes add to the equation also. An indulgent love potion.

You don't have to sell granny to stretch to a fine pink fizz from New Zealand. Lindauer Ros Brut is a quarter of the price of many champagne ross and just as good, if not better. It's finely textured, elegant and splendidly dry. Well done toast on the nose gives way to delicate strawberry and raspberry flavours with hazelnut to finish.

If you are still not convinced about pink wine, then what about a terrific red with a name that suggests it's a ros? Catharanthus Roseus vin de pays d'Oc 2000 is a lighter style of red from producer Bertie Eden's Languedoc vineyards. And 50p from the sale of the bottle goes to swell the coffers of the Rainforest Foundation. Indeed the wine gets it's name from a herb that grows in Madagascar, derivatives of which have benefits in the treatment of cancer. I think the Latin name of the herb given to the wine is much more suitable than the common name, the Madagascar periwinkle!

This vieilles vignes syrah is best lightly chilled. It has flavours of cranberry, cherry, raspberry, brambles, plum tomatoes and black pepper. Rustic, woody oak notes and plenty of tannins. Very, very quaffable.

Chateau de Sours Ros 2003, £7.99 at Majestic. 17/20

Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon Ros 2004, £5.99 at Majestic, Oddbins and Sainsburys 17/20

Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Ros Brut, widely available for around £37.99. 16/20

Lindauer Ros Brut, £7.99 at Oddbins and Tesco. 16/20

Catharanthus Roseus vin de pays d'Oc 2000, £9.29 at Oddbins. 17/20

Updated: 08:32 Saturday, February 05, 2005