Only Pinot Noir (Liquid Viagra) Will Do on Valentine’s Day

For serious wine drinkers on Valentine’s Day Pinot Noir is the drink of choice. Pinot Noir is the most seductive of all wines and is the official wine of Valentine’s Day. Writer Konrad Ejbich claims to look for places where he “can drink it with one hand under the table,” and describes Pinot Noir as “heaven in a glass….the color of ruby lips.” He goes on to say, “Pinot Noir smells like great sex and tastes like the ripest strawberries, raspberries and black cherries all at once.”

The pheromones of the Pinot Noir grape are very closely related to male pheromones. All of the aromas in the Pinot Noir grape-like spice, musk, earth and barnyard are associated with the principal male smell of androsterone. Androsterone is secreted by the sebaceous glands and is also found in the skin and urine. Truffles, vanilla and oak smell of Pinot Noir aged in oak barrels are also androsterone-like. It has been found that androsterone can affect human behavior when smelled. These smells can unlock powerful memories and open the door to lust and desire. With both the olfactory system and the emotional center located in the frontal lobes of the brain, is it any wonder that a great Pinot Noir gets you a sure thing? If it wasn’t for those pheromones and Pinot Noir, we might all still be apes.

Just remember not to over imbibe on Valentine’s Day because alcohol depresses the nerve centers in the hypothalamus that control sexual arousal and performance. The sexual urge may increase, but sexual performance decreases. Who can forget oversexed Jack who had to deal with an unfortunate bout of priapism in Rex Pickett’s novel, Vertical, the sequel to 'Sideways'. Jack takes Viagra to counteract the effects of alcohol, a combination that would make any physician cringe. It is the funniest interlude in the book.