| Many people enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, | | | | Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and |
| but a good percentage of those don't really know | | | | Semillon white wines. You could also serve White |
| how to properly pair a wine with their meal. Often | | | | Grenache or White Zinfandel in the rose, or Blanc |
| they will find one wine that they like and drink it | | | | de Noir, Brut Extra Dry, or Spumante |
| with everything. What's happening is that they're | | | | champagnes. |
| missing out on some of the joy of the | | | | Choose a red Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot |
| experience, because each wine complements food | | | | Noir, or Zinfandel for strong cheeses. A nice white |
| in a different way. It really does matter what you | | | | Chardonnay or sparkling wine would also be a |
| drink. These tips for choosing the perfect wine | | | | good choice. |
| for your meal may just open up a whole new | | | | Desserts would be best limited to a |
| culinary experience for you.In the simplest terms, | | | | Gewurztraminer, Riesling, White Zinfandel, or |
| people generally choose red wine to go with red | | | | Spumante sparkling wine. |
| meat and choose white wine to go with white | | | | Pasta dishes, especially those that are heavily |
| meat. If you're having a nice steak, leg of lamb, | | | | seasoned with tomato sauce, and smoked or |
| or another red meat, choose from a variety of | | | | barbecued beef, would be great with a Cabernet |
| red wines. Fish, pork, and poultry would be served | | | | Sauvignon, Merlot, or Red Zinfandel. White wine |
| with a nice white wine. This simplistic rule, of | | | | choices include Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Pinot |
| course, isn't always the case.Instead of matching | | | | Grigio, and Riesling. Rose and sparkling wine would |
| a wine with the color of the meat being served, a | | | | not be ideal to serve with these types of meals. |
| better idea would be to match the intensity of | | | | Pork dishes can be enjoyed with a Pinot Noir or |
| the wine with the intensity of the meat. A deep, | | | | red Zinfandel, white Chardonnay or |
| full-bodied red wine would go well with a juicy | | | | Gewurztraminer, or a White Grenache. |
| steak or lamb chops. Lighter meals would be good | | | | Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, |
| with a nice white wine. If you have a spicy | | | | Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and White Zinfandel are |
| poultry dish you might want to serve a red wine | | | | good choices for poultry dishes. |
| just as you might want to serve a white wine | | | | Finally, if you plan to enjoy a seafood dinner, |
| with a delicate meal that has a red meat | | | | consider choosing a Merlot, Pinot Noir, Burgundy, |
| entrée.Appetizers ideally shouldn't be paired | | | | Chardonnay, Semillon, White Grenache, or White |
| with red wines. They can, however, be paired | | | | Zinfandel for heavy seafood. Chardonnay, |
| with these white wines: Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and | | | | Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, White |
| Sauvignon Blanc; these roses: White Grenache and | | | | Grenache, and White Zinfandel would be |
| White Zinfandel; and these sparkling wines: Blanc | | | | recommended for lighter seafood fare. |
| de Noir, Brut Extra Dry, and Spumante.Barbecue | | | | It doesn't take a genius to choose a good wine to |
| and marinated poultry are best served with one | | | | enjoy with dinner. These tips for choosing the |
| of these red wines: Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, and | | | | perfect wine, while not exhaustive, will hopefully |
| Beaujolais. Beef dishes are also best served with | | | | make that next decision a little easier. Take your |
| a red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and | | | | time, consider your options, and enjoy whatever |
| Zinfandel. | | | | you choose. |
| Mild cheese would benefit from Chenin Blanc, | | | | |