A candlelit dinner: the classic evening for two

At least for a little while. About 20 minutes before opening the bottle is recommended, as homes and apartments are often too warm for red wine. With white wine, it’s the other way around: Take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving – otherwise it is likely to be too cold. When it comes to wine, the temperature makes more of a difference than one might think. When wine is too cold, its flavor is less pronounced; if red wine is too warm, the alcohol becomes more noticeable.

And then there’s the question of the wine pairings. The familiar rule of "red with meat, white with fish" is frequently too simple. Sauces, spices and preparation are, in fact, more important factors. A chicken breast with a morel cream sauce, for example, calls for a different wine than the same meat served with a light lemon vinaigrette. A strongly flavored sauce might pair well with a light red wine or a full-bodied Chardonnay, while a lighter kind suits a crisp, high-acidity white wine.

One last tip: Not every bottle needs to be decanted hours in advance, but younger red wines, in particular, benefit from 20 to 30 minutes of exposure to air. The easiest approach is to pour the wine into a carafe before attending to the final steps of meal preparation; by the time the food is on the table, the wine will then be ready, too.

Those who prefer going out to dine benefit from one thing above all else: more time together. And Switzerland is home to a number of locations where the setting itself has the power to transform a simple dinner into an exquisite date.

At the revolving restaurant on the Stanserhorn, the evening starts with an ascent to an altitude of 1,900 meters. Once at the top, the dining hall rotates slowly on its axis: Sitting on the revolving platform, over the course of 44 minutes, the diners experience a full panorama of the mountain landscape as night falls outside. On selected evenings, the venue hosts candlelit dinners, with wine served by the glass from magnum bottles available on request.

Things can get surprisingly dark by the Limmat by contrast. During a candlelit dinner at La Rôtisserie at Storchen Zurich, the electric lighting is switched off on the last Tuesday of each winter month. The guests dine by candlelight with a view of the river and with a choice of à la carte options or a gourmet menu. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to see a familiar place in a brand-new light.

The "Zur Gedult" in Burgdorf might just be made for candlelit dining. With around 20 diners sitting at traditional bistro tables, the atmosphere is pleasantly relaxed and intimate. Lukas Kiener, who prepares almost all the dishes himself, is the force behind the restaurant’s Michelin star and 17 GaultMillau points. His menu changes each month, while the accompanying wines are sourced from winemakers personally known to the restaurateur whenever possible.

At BLUME in Baden, the evening starts in the water – in a private bathing room filled with warm thermal water surrounded by candlelight. The rest of the world can stay outside. A glass of Ammonit Secco from the restaurant’s own vineyard then awaits, followed by dinner in the first-floor gallery. By then, the stresses and strains of everyday life are certain to have melted away.