Founded in 1973, Domaine Chandon was the first American sparkling wine venture established by a French Champagne house (Moët & Chandon). Chandon crafts a range of sparkling wines that reflect California’s vibrant regional character yet remain true to the practices of méthode traditionnelle. Domaine Chandon’s acclaimed fine dining restaurant étoile received a star rating in the 2010 Michelin Guide. The winery was selected “Winery of the Year 2005″ by the California Tourism Association.

Chandon has created a fun and flirty microsite for lovers seeking creative inspiration and more for their Valentines celebrations. www.chandon.com/valentine offers original ideas and suggested cocktail and meal recipes, as well as helpful hints on ways to charm and enchant your love throughout the day.

Taking inspiration from the original God of Love, www.chandon.com/valentine is affectionately known as “What Would Cupid Do?” and offers creative Valentine suggestions in addition to the reliable but expected dinner out. The site has ideas based on the time of day you will be celebrating Valentines Day and geo-targets suggestions based on your zip code location. The site is viewable on iPhones and iPads. It offers great ways to captivate your loved one, such as suprising your sweetie with bubbles in bed, or starting your day with dessert and creating a romantic déjà vu by recreating your very first date.

And for the traditional Valentine’s day dinner, there is a “Dine with Chandon” section, which recommends local restaurants that serve Chandon (with a link to make a reservation).

For a romantic cocktail to sweeten up your Valentine, Chandon suggests the Love Potion.

Love Potion Recipe

Rim a chilled martini glass with red sugar. In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine one ounce cranberry simple syrup (recipe below) and ½ ounce fresh-squeezed orange juice. Shake until chilled, strain into glass, and top with three ounces Chandon Sparkling Rosé. Enjoy and repeat!

Cranberry Simple Syrup:

1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice

1 cup sugar of choice

Combine in a heavy saucepan on low heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Store in glass jar in the fridge. Yields 1 1/4 cup.

Bow and arrow not required.

Be sure to check out chandon.com/valentine for other great cocktails with food pairings, and for more reasons to celebrate everyday, please visit http://www.chandon.com/365/chandon-365.ics to download Chandon’s 365 Reasons to Celebrate calendar to your desktop or go to www.facebook.com/chandon and click on the 365 tab.

Tags: chandon, chandon drinks, valentine's, valentine's day drinks, valentine's day ideas