| Most people love to throw dinner parties for their | | | | as Barolo or Chianti. |
| friends and family. But, they may avoid serving | | | | Fish and Seafood |
| wine because they do not know exactly what to | | | | To be safe, stick with a dry, crisp white wine. |
| serve. Do you serve red or white with fish? Will | | | | Sauvignon Blanc goes well with white fish while |
| Merlot be okay if you are serving a Mexican dish? | | | | Sancerre and Muscadet go well with oysters. If |
| Do not stress over it - there are some basic wine | | | | you want to be different, try a fruity red wine |
| rules you can follow. | | | | (without tannins). But, use caution when serving |
| The number one rule of thumb when choosing | | | | red, especially if you are serving white, delicate |
| wine is "red wine with red meat, white wine with | | | | fish. Cabernets with tannins combined with fish |
| white meat." This is not always true, but it | | | | can leave a metallic taste in your mouth. |
| generally works quite well when you are unsure. | | | | Poultry, Pork and Veal |
| One exception is chicken. The meat is white, but | | | | For the most part, you want to follow the "white |
| a nice fruity red wine goes well with it. The same | | | | meat, white wine" rule with these. White |
| can be said for tuna or salmon, so you do not | | | | chardonnays and Pinot Blancs are great. If you |
| have to always follow the rule of not serving red | | | | want to serve red with chicken, remember to |
| wine with fish. The second rule is the rule of | | | | choose a wine that is fruity like a Merlot or |
| complements. It is okay to match sweet seafood | | | | Zinfandel. |
| such as lobster with a sweet white wine. The | | | | Turkey |
| next rule is the opposites attract. While you | | | | Think back to Thanksgiving. Do you remember |
| usually want to match like flavors, sometimes a | | | | how well your cranberry sauce went with the |
| contrast, such as a White Bordeaux with bluefish | | | | turkey? The same rule applies here. For turkey, |
| can be wonderful. | | | | since it has both white and dark meat, you want |
| Outside of the basic rules, there are certain things | | | | something fruity and tart such as a Beaujolais for |
| you can look for and certain things you can avoid | | | | red or a Riesling for white. |
| depending on what you are serving. Here are | | | | Spicy Foods |
| some hints as to what to serve with particular | | | | If you are planning on service something spicy like |
| types of food. | | | | Thai or Indian food, a sparkling wine works best. |
| Salads and Appetizers | | | | Avoid wines with tannins and look for something |
| You should avoid serving wine during your salad, | | | | fruity. And, make sure the wine is well chilled. Cold |
| as vinegar and wine do not mix well. But, if you | | | | wine goes well with spicy foods. |
| are having an appetizer, you need to consider the | | | | Dessert |
| ingredients in the appetizer to help you choose | | | | The best thing to serve with a delicious dessert is |
| your wine. If you are having a cheese tray, the | | | | a dessert wine. In fact, you can skip the dessert |
| type of cheese will help you determine the wine. | | | | part and just serve a dessert wine to your |
| For example, cheddar is best with dry reds, | | | | guests. These are sweet wines often sold in |
| Merlots, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pinot Noir goes | | | | smaller bottles as you don't drink as much dessert |
| best with Swiss. Camembert and brie are great | | | | wine as you do regular wine. Wines such as |
| with a Chardonnay. The cheese we tend to think | | | | Sauternes, Beerenauslese, Bermet and |
| of as Italian such as parmigiano, romano, and | | | | Cammandaria will make a great end to any |
| reggiano go well with Italian dry red wines like | | | | evening. |
| Chianti and Barlol. If you are serving something a | | | | The most important rule about what wine to |
| fried appetizer, consider serving a crisp, fruity | | | | serve is to avoid being snobby about wine. There |
| white or red wine to help cut the oily flavor. | | | | are no right answers, only basic rules to go by |
| Beef, Steak and Lamb | | | | and even those, as you have seen, can be |
| Do you remember the "red wine with red meat" | | | | changed. Do not be afraid to experiment with |
| rule? That one is great to use when serving beef, | | | | different tastes. Chances are if you do not act |
| steak, and lamb. Choose a dry red wine like | | | | like there is anything wrong with the wine you are |
| Cabernet Sauvignon or a burgundy like Pinot Noir. | | | | serving, your guests will not either. |
| You can also consider serving an Italian red such | | | | |