Valentine’s Day has long been associated with romance. Whether the day is celebrated in a fine restaurant or in an intimate dining room, wine plays an important part in setting the romantic mood.

The Register asked readers which wines go well with a Valentine’s Day dinner, and we received plenty of suggestions — and even found some Napa Valley wines that seem to have been suitably named just for such a romantic occasion.

Seduction is a wine that was suggested by two people — Mike Smith of Napa and Bart O’Brien of O’Brien Cellars, who produces the wine. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot, it comes in a red and black box that emphasizes the words, “Lovers, Friends and You.” The wine bottle is enclosed in a red see-through bag, described by a colleague in the newsroom as “the only wine I’ve ever see that comes in a negligee.”

John and Gail Urbanik nominated Bacio Divino, also a red wine blend that features cabernet sauvignon, with some sangiovese, along with merlot, petite sirah and syrah. But what the Urbaniks wrote in their e-mail that made this a Valentine’s Day standout was that Bacio Divino means “divine kiss” in Italian.

James Johnson Vineyards in St. Helena produces a cabernet sauvignon named Bisou, which translates to “kiss” in French, so named because all three of his children have spoken French fluently since they learned to talk, and every night Johnson and his wife Michelle asked their kids as they were growing up, “Where are our bisous?”

Sparkling conversation

Several people nominated sparkling wines.

Ron Schneider of Napa wrote, “A no-brainer. Champagne or sparkling, but it must be pink. And I don’t mean a sparkling white zin.”

Peggy Garcia of Napa suggested a blanc de noir sparkling wine from Point Reyes Vineyard in Marin County to start the dinner, a cab, zin or pinot to go with the dinner (and chocolate), and end with a viognier dessert wine. She informed us that Point Reyes’ owner, Steve Doughty, is a former Napa resident.

Michaela Baltasar, who works for Clos du Val Winery, suggests a rose sparkler from Clos du Val’s sister winery, Taltarni, in Australia — Brut Taché, a blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, with a touch of shiraz for color.

Jim Nagel of Napa suggested St. Clement Vineyards’ Oroppas, a blend composed primarily of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. His e-mail read, “Since it is blended with various wines, it is a bit like a marriage, which brings together and blends two people to make a better overall combination.” He also pointed out the name reminds him of the song “Oh my darling Clementine,” and linked it to Valentine’s Day thus: Clementine = Darling = Valentine = Clementine = St. Clement.

Lindsey of Napa said whenever she and her boyfriend plan a quiet, romantic dinner, especially Valentine’s Day, they go to Allegria, and always order Rocking Horse zinfandel, and the wine always reminds her of the most romantic times they have spent together.

A reader who identified herself as E. Kohagura suggested Silver Stag cabernet sauvignon from the Tulocay area. “I would highly recommend it, especially for a romantic occasion,” she wrote.

Reader Pete, in Napa, said he and his wife “will be seeking out the freshest seafood in Napa to enjoy with one of my favorite wines at the moment, chardonnay from William Hill Estate.”

Jeff Booth chimed in with Two Angels petite sirah, from Lake County, a wine whose label features angels that could easily double as cupids.

And Ralph Gousha of Napa selects the charbono from Summers Winery, Villa Andriana, in Calistoga, as his favorite. “Valentine’s Day is a big deal for us and has been for 44 years,” he wrote in an e-mail. “It’s a perfect time for charbono. We find it soft, smooth and with good body, and prefer it to most reds.”

Workplace romance

Not surprisingly, numerous comments came from people who might have been a little less than objective in their choices — they work for or are associated with wineries and nominated their own wines.

Mitzi Inglis of Raymond Vineyards said she would choose any vintage of Raymond Generations cabernet sauvignon, adding “I’ve picked it as my favorite in blind tastings against competitors, too, so I know I love it.”

Holly Nuss, whose brother-in-law Brian makes Vinoce wine, recommended Vinoce’s red wine, a blend of cabernet franc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and said she and her husband open a bottle every Valentine’s Day.

Suzanne Wooten, of Smith Wooten, offered her winery’s syrah from the Sierra Foothills as a suggestion, indicating that “it’s smooth as velvet.”

Kim Liestenfeltz, who is associated with Diageo, picked one of her company’s wines — the 2003 Hewitt Vineyard cabernet sauvignon, saying that when she and her fiance tasted it, the wine “lured us into its romantic mouthfeel.” They plan to enjoy a bottle “with a great meal Upvalley … to celebrate our Valentine’s Day,” and said they’ll have a bottle on hand for their wedding on 7/7/07, no doubt a lucky day for them.

Jane Stone of Napa whose son-in-law is Axel Schug at Schug Carneros Estate Winery, suggests serving a Schug pinot noir in a tall crystal Champagne flute.

Monica Silva, of Old Bridge Cellars, suggests one of her company’s imports — an Australian shiraz labeled “The Love Grass,” named for the sticky flowers that attach themselves to the socks of vineyard workers.

A wine that might be more suitable for Halloween than Valentine’s Day is a cabernet sauvignon-syrah blend from Black Cat Vineyard suggested by founder/winemaker Tracy Reichow.

Tom Fuller, whose public relations firm represents some of Jess Jackson’s Artisans & Estates wines, calls Hartford Court Four Hearts vineyard chardonnay “poifect” for “sharing with your sweetheart — or maybe on a double date.”

Nepotism came from another direction, too. John and Gail Urbanik, who had suggested Bacio Divino, had another nomination — a wine called Taste Red, a blend of merlot and petite verdot from Bedell Cellars on Long Island, N.Y. Calling the label “quite romantic (seductive, erotic)” they also acknowledged that their daughter Kelly, a former Napa resident, is the assistant winemaker at Bedell, and according to the winery’s Web site, is the first female winemaker in Long Island wine history.

Not everyone thinks that a bottle of wine is the way to go to celebrate a romantic Valentine’s Day. Tina Danner, who works for Sutter Insurance Co. in Petaluma, wrote in an e-mail: “What about beer? Personally, I and my boyfriend prefer a good, expensive beer. Wine is so overplayed. A good beer for V-Day would be a cherry lambic beer — nice, mellow, light cherry flavor. Great for after that expensive dinner.”

She adds, “Plus, it’s in a corked bottle so it gives the appearance of wine.”