The Food and Wine combinations that most of us grew up with were the “Red wine with beef” and “White wine with fish or poultry” rules.  Since then, we’ve heard “any wine as long as you like it”. A person can differentiate (on average) about 9,000 different aromas.  Even those of us with a poor sense of smell can identify more than 3000 aromas.  One can taste only four things:  Sweetness, Acidity, Bitterness and Saltiness.  The surest and easiest way to match foods with wines is to look for sweetness, acidity or bitterness in the food and serve wines that have the same characteristics

White wines with high acid: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, White Bordeaux and almost all sparkling wines.  These wines usually pair well with most seafood.

Red Wines with high acid levels: Pinot Noir (including Red Burgundies), Sangiovese (including Chiantis) and Gamay (including Beaujolais) These wines are usually very good pairings with grilled seafood and with most red sauces (tomato-based).

White wines sweetness include Most German wines, Vouvray, Chenin Blanc, Asti Spumante and many Rieslings.  White Zinfandel has sweetness and high acidity.

Red wines with sweetness include:  Lambrusco and Port (very sweet)

Red wines with bitterness include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Red Bordeaux,  Zinfandel.

Commonly Used Combination

Appetizers

Asparagus with hollandaise	Pouilly fuisse , Pouilly Fume,  Soave
Melon	Vouvray, Moscato d alba
Tomato Stuffed with Sea Food	Silvaner, dry Riesling Wines
Fish	Dry White Burgundies
Quiche Lorraine	Beaujolais, Light fruity Wines
Shell Fish	Chablis
Lobster	Muscadet , Dry White Wines
Coquilles St. Jacques	Petit Chablis

Soups

Thin Soups	Dry Sherries
Fish Soups	Dry French Or Spanish Wines
Vegetable Soups	Tocai, Soave, Dry White Wines
Turtle or Rich Soups	Dry Madeira

Fish

Cod (baked & fried)	Muscadet from Loire, White Italian wine
Fried or grilled fish	Chablis
Poached white fishes with sauce	Pouilly Fuisse, White Alsatian wines, Dry Rhine or Mosel wines
Salmon(poached, grilled or baked)	Dry White Burgundies
Poached sole	Rieslings, Sylvaners from Alsace

Chicken

Capon ala crème	White Burgundies
Fried	Beajoulais Red wines
Roast Chicken	Red Bordeaux i.e. Chateau Latour, Chateaux Margaux, Chateau Lafite

Veal

Braised	Pouilly fume, Sancerre light red wines
Escalope	Red Beaujolais
Roast	Red Beaujolais, Meursault

Ham

Boiled Ham

Young Red wines

Lamb

Braised Lamb	Beaujolais, Light Red Bordeaux wines
Leg of Lamb provençale	Heavy Red Wines ( Chateau Neuf du Pape, Hermitage)
Grilled Chops	Velvety Red Wines
Saddle of lamb roasted	Red Bordeaux i.e. Chateau Latour, Chateaux Margaux, Chateau Lafite

Pork

Grilled chops	Chateau Neuf Du-Pape
Roast	Great Beaujolais
Tenderloins with prunes	Sancerre earthy light dry white wines

Beef

Beef Steaks	Chianti, Well balanced dry red wines
Broiled	Red Bordeaux, Red burgundy wines
Braised	Chateau Margaux
Braised provençal	Chateau Neuf Du-Pape, Italian Red Wines
Braised with red wines	Light red wines
Braised fillet chasseur	Nuit St Georges, Rich Red Wines

Duck

Roast

Beaujolais,  Italian   Wines from Piedmont, Veneto, Tuscany & Spanish dry red (Rioja)

Turkey

Roast	Light Red Wines, Cantenac
Cold with Ham	Beaujolais, White Rioja, Dry white wines

Cheese

Brie	Medoc Red Wines, Red Burgundies
Danish Blue or Roquefort	Chateau Neuf- du- Pape
Edam	Mosel Wines, Soave,
Cheddar	St. Emilion, Italian Red Wines
Gorgonzola	Barbaresco, Chianti
Stilton	Port
Gruyere	Sancerre, Beaujolais

Fruits, Nuts

Fruit, Nuts

Sweet Sherries,  Madeira, Marsala