Whenever romance is in the air — be it a dinner, picnic, midnight rendezvous, anniversary, celebration or the first day you met — the time will often be celebrated with wine. The romance and intrigue of wine starts in the vineyard and ends in the glass.

I met my husband several years ago in the parking lot of Roy's Restaurant in Hawai'i Kai. That's right, in the parking lot!

On my way to a meeting with the restaurant's wine buyer, my car overheated and with the car hood up I became a damsel in distress.

Flustered because I had an appointment and trying to decide what to do, I saw a guy approaching. He asked if I needed help. He worked at the restaurant across the way and had been watching me looking under the hood. He'd come to offer his assistance.

I welcomed his help but told him I had an appointment. He told me not to worry, I should simply go with my wines and he would see what he could do. I was gone for more than an hour and was sure he would be long gone. I was worried about leaving my keys.

I returned to find him under my car in his nicely pressed white shirt and dress pants, with a huge grease mark on his brow, a cut on his head and a concerned look on his face.

My car would have to be towed; the fan belt had snapped and there were no auto parts stores open. Great!

I offered him a bottle of wine for his labor and prepared to call the tow truck. He promptly replied that he would only accept the bottle if I shared it with him; he didn't drink alone.

The rest is history.

Wine and romance go hand in hand. Dining in a good restaurant, sitting on the beach under moonlight, or simply enjoying the company of family and friends at home, one most certainly will want to have wine with the meal.

Nothing beats a glass of champagne or pinot gris with caviar or crisp oysters on the half-shell to start the evening. Try a bottle of Ayala Champagne, Chateau d'Ay, France, $45 (the champagne Princess Diana poured at her wedding), or Ponzi Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley in Oregon, $18.

I love baked eggplant and vegetables, with wild rice and a hearty roasted tomato sauce. Babcock Pinot Noir, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara, complements it nicely. Not a typical lean pinot noir, this wine has substance and lots of flavor at $16.

And for you meat eaters who enjoy a sirloin steak or beef brisket, try Badia a Coltibuono, Chianti Riserva, $26.