Entertaining with wine should be fun and totally stress free. And with this food-wine guide, it can be. No one should fret over what wine to serve to guests, but many do. The novice is overwhelmed with the complexity of the literature and advice from so-called experts.

The simple truth is, there are no real rules to worry about. There are, however, traditional wine pairings that have stood the test of time. These food wine parings are suggestions compiled over centuries, and are ostensibly based upon such technical characteristics as weight, aroma, and intensity. However, in reality, each listed pairing simply tasted right to whoever added it to the list. You're the boss. If it works for you, it belongs on your own personal list.

You'll also learn more about food wine parings in my Food-Wine Guide's section on Choosing Wines.

Matching Wines with Foods

As this food-wine guide will show you, when wine is paired with food, neither of the two should dominate the other. Balance is the goal. A good food-wine paring is complementary, allowing both the wine and the food to contribute equally to the enjoyment of a great meal.

Some Wine Vocabulary for this Food-Wine Guide

Weight, aroma, and intensity are terms often bandied about by experts. So it's important that you understand these terms to help you to select wines-- or simply to understand what is meant when somebody talks about these characteristics of wine.

Intensity: Intense wines have a strong commanding taste. These intense or strong wines are quite robust. Match less intense wines with light dishes and intense wines with robust meals.

Weight: If the wine feels like water when you swish it around in your mouth, it is considered light. If it feels more syrupy, it is classified as a heavy wine. Weight is simply a measure of viscosity or thickness. Serve heavy wines with rich robust foods, and light wines with lighter dishes.

Aroma: Matching aromas should not be high on your list of concerns, but occasionally some aromas may clash enough to be sensed. Try always to pair aromatic foods with aromatic wines.

A List of Traditional Wine Pairings

Remember, no matter what you read in food-wine guides, there are no hard and fast rules for selecting wines. There are, however, some traditional pairings that have evolved over centuries of wine-drinking experience. For all their history, they are still only suggestions. If you try a pairing and are disappointed, try another. Remember, if you like a pairing, be it classical or not, use it. Personal experience should be the rule. If you liked it, go with it!

Working with the following pairings is an excellent place for the inexperienced host to begin experimenting.

• Anjou Wine - Tarts
• Chablis - Oysters
• Champagne - Caviar
• Champagne - Tiramisu
• Chardonnay - Fried seafood
• Chianti - Red Pasta Sauce
• Muscadet - Shellfish
• Sauternes - Foie gras
• Sauvignon Blanc - Fish
• Pinot Grigio - Salad
• Pinot Noir - Ribs
• Port - Chocolate
• Red Wine - Hard Cheese
• Sherry - Salty Snacks
• Sparking Wine - Fruit Salad
• White Wine - Soft Cheese
• Zinfandel - Barbeque

Experience has shown that the pairings suggested above offer a certain favorable balance, which is why they show up often in any food-wine guide. The flavors and textures are complementary. Each one tends to enhance the flavor of the other without overwhelming it.

Characteristics of Wines and Foods

Food wine paring is a balance determined by personal taste and experience, but it does involve a bit of chemistry. You may wish to consider the following characteristics of wine and foods before making a selection

Wine Characteristics

Acidity: In any food-wine guide you see, acidity will be one of the most important elements, as it is a characteristic of wine that magnifies flavor. Acidic wines are robust and pair well with almost all foods, especially acidic salads and citrus fruits.

Alcohol: All wines, after the fermentation process, contain alcohol. Those wines with higher or fortified alcohol content should not be paired with spicy foods, as they tend to overwhelm the spices.

Oak: Oak is a recognizable flavor that enters the wine from the oaken casks in which it is stored. Wines with a dominant oak flavor are best paired with rich or sweet foods.

Tannins: Tannins gives wine a strong and somewhat bitter taste. It provides a good balance with rich foods such as steak.

Food Characteristics

Salt: Foods are salted to accentuate flavors. Salty foods are best paired with wines that have a higher tannin characteristic.

Sweet: To complement sweet foods and desserts, pair them with wines that are sweet or high in acidity.

Fat: Foods that are high in fat are best paired with wines that are rich with tannin or have high acidity. Wines with higher acidity are robust enough to dominate the fat.

Successful Entertaining with Wine

Becoming familiar with the flavors of wine and food, either through experimentation or reliance upon authoritative advice, is an excellent way to study food and wine pairings. Armed with this information and experience, you'll be in an excellent position to make intelligent decisions on what to serve at your next get together. Hey, even the experts who wrote all those food-wine guides had to start somewhere.

Informal Get Togethers: There is nothing wrong with serving wine at a backyard barbeque. The event doesn't have to be a black-tie affair. If you find that a good red wine goes well with cheeseburgers, use it. The critical factor is whether or not the pairing works for you and your guests. Just to be sure that you offer the best possible choices, ensure success by keeping a stock of assorted wines, reds, whites, light, and robust, to give your guests a choice.

Remember to cater your wines to your guests... just because a food-wine guide says a pairing is great doesn't mean every guest will love it. Food-wine parings are very individual!

The Formal Event: Formal events present a completely different situation for food-wine parings. These formal affairs typically involve a great deal of advanced planning for every contingency, including choosing the food and the accompanying wines.

How Much to Buy: The smart host(ess) or party planner always buys more wine than he or she calculates is necessary. Plan on allowing for three glasses of wine (15 ounces) for each guest.

Basic Wine-Food Guide Etiquette

Whenever you are planning a party that includes wine, this food-wine guide will help you put in place a couple basic rules to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. The most important thing is that your guests feel comfortable. Consider the following simple precautions:

Non-alcoholic beverages: Not all of your guests will want wine. Some will not drink anything with alcohol. Be prepared to offer your guests an alternative. If you are serving the beverages, ask each guest what he or she would prefer. They will appreciate your consideration. When you serve their drink, make sure that it is served in the same type of glass that is given other guests. This will eliminate any awkwardness for those preferring a non-alcoholic beverage.

Wine Gifts from Guests: Considerate guests often bring a bottle of wine for the house. Make it a point to open these gift wines during the evening to let the guest know that the gift is appreciated and made available to all. You wouldn't want the guest to think you disliked their selection.

Provide a Handy Trash Receptacle: Place a clearly designated receptacle for trash and unfinished food. Naturally, your food will be so good that no one will throw any out, but keep one handy just in case. Guests will feel uncomfortable if they have to decide where to place the unwanted food or drink. Give them an option.

What about You?

In the end, no matter how great a food-wine guide you use, the success of your party will be a reflection of how much you enjoyed it. If you are relaxed and having a good time, your mood and attitude will be sensed and shared by your guests. Relax about the wines you've selected. If you did a reasonable amount of research or personal testing, your wine pairings will be fine. If you are enjoying your glass of wine and its relationship to the meal, your guests will enjoy their experience as well.

About the Author:

Sergio Rodriguez is the founder and publisher of Wine-Rack-Depot.com. He currently lives in Miami, Florida with his wife and their three children. When Sergio isn't enjoying quality time with his family, he can usually be found commanding the barbecue pit or investigating the latest products and trends in wine.