Champagne, sparkling wine and chocolates are a favourite pairing to celebrate Valentine's Day, despite warnings from experts that the two do not go well together.

Sales of bubbly rise with the approach of Cupid's big day on Feb. 14, according to the research and data company Nielsen, so romantics and even some winemakers are convinced that with the right choices the two could be a winning combination.

"There are so many flavours in chocolate and wine. So, if you're going for a fruit such as raspberry or apricot dipped in dark chocolate, then you really want the demi-sec," said Eileen Crane, a winemaker at Domaine Carneros in California, referring to the semi-dry wine.

A self-confessed addict of both bubbles and chocolate, Crane said she preferred dark chocolate with a classic brut Champagne but if the box of sweets included milk chocolates then a rosé sparkling wine would be a better choice.

For lovers of chocolate desserts, Janet Hedstrom, executive chef at the Washington state winery Domaine Ste Michelle, recommends Blanc de Blancs, a sparkler made entirely of Chardonnay grapes.

Dark chocolate with sea salt also went well with a Brut Prosecco, a Brut Champagne or a Brut Rosé Cremant from France's Alsace region.

"Based on the women in my office, husbands and boyfriends would be best off bringing home a bottle of sparkling rosé," said Susan-Anne Cosgrove, a spokeswoman for Pasternak Wine Importer.