How to Pick The Perfect Wine For Your Meal

It's not as hard as it may seem to choose a good wine to enjoy with your meal. Here are some tips for choosing the perfect wine, that will hopefully make your next wine selection a little easier. Take your time, consider your wine options, and enjoy whatever you choose.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Good Eye

1. A deep, full-bodied red wine would go well with a juicy steak or lamb chops. Barbecue and marinated poultry are best served with one of these red wines: Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, and Beaujolais. Beef dishes are also best served with a red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Zinfandel.

2. Lighter meals would be good with a nice white wine. Appetizers and mild cheeses can be paired with these white wines: Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc; these roses: White Grenache and White Zinfandel; and these sparkling wines: Blanc de Noir, Brut Extra Dry, and Spumante.

3. Choose a red Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Zinfandel for strong cheeses. A nice white Chardonnay or sparkling wine would also be a good choice.

4. Desserts would be best limited to a Gewurztraminer, Riesling, White Zinfandel, or Spumante sparkling wine.

5. Pasta dishes, would be great with a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Red Zinfandel. White wine choices include Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling. Rose and sparkling wine would not be ideal to serve with these types of meals.

6. Pork dishes can be enjoyed with a Pinot Noir or red Zinfandel, white Chardonnay or Gewurztraminer, or a White Grenache.
   Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and White Zinfandel are good choices for poultry dishes.

7. Finally, if you plan to enjoy a seafood dinner, consider choosing a Merlot, Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Semillon, White Grenache, or White Zinfandel for heavy seafood. Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, White Grenache, and White Zinfandel would be recommended for lighter seafood fare.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of matching a wine with the color of the meat being served, a better idea would be to match the intensity of the wine with the intensity of the meat.