Meals With Wine

Choose the right wine to go with your meal.

The ultimate wisdom in choosing wines to go with your food holds that you should use any wine you like. If it's one you enjoy, then it will be appropriate for your food. Traditional wisdom pairs different wines with specific foods, and this is generally how most pairings are done. To choose wines in the traditional way, follow a few simple rules that have been observed in the past.

Red

Red wines go well with robust cheeses.

Strongly-flavored cheeses go well with just about any type of red wine, matching a robust flavor with another robust flavor. The same is true of pasta sauces containing tomatoes and strong herbal flavors. Chianti is often chosen for pizza and other Italian dishes such as lasagna or baked ziti. Beef dishes, including steaks, make a good pairing with Bordeaux. Beaujolais wine is light and fruity, and goes well with appetizers. Merlot, Cabernet and Port pair well with chocolate.

White

Seafood dishes pair successfully with white wines.

Mild and strong cheeses and chicken dishes go well with most white wines. Sauvingon Blanc and Chenin Blanc enhance all seafood and most fish dishes, while Chardonnay pairs well with oysters. Pork pairs well with Chardonnay, Riesling or Gewurztraminer. Uncork a Chenin Blanc if you are having Asian dishes. For caviar appetizers, choose a Gewurztraminer. While white wine isn't recommended with heavy, spicy tomato sauces, it can pair well with a poultry, fish or seafood dish that includes tomatoes.

Red Rose

Serve red rose wines with appetizers.

A red rose wine will not be as robust as a red wine, but it is more so than a white wine. Many foods that go with either red or white wine will be perfect with a red rose. These are playful blush wines not intended for serious cooking. Pair them with light fare, such as an appetizer made of a salty tapenade on crackers. Bruchetta and crostini work well with red rose wines as well.

Sparkling Wine

Celebrate your special occasion with champagne and strawberries.

This is the wine for celebration or as a starter and a grand finale to a special meal. These wines have bubbles, and the most revered of sparkling wines is champagne. Blanc de noir, Blanc de blanc and Brut sparkling wines go naturally with robust cheeses and seafood, as well as fruits and many kinds of desserts. Not often consumed during a meal, they do go well with chicken dishes. Mushrooms as part of an appetizer or part of a chicken or seafood meal pair well with sparkling wines.

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