As it pours to the glass, the color of purple-black ink is already noticed.This wine from the Apennines of Italy smells fresh, a bit like black cherriesand a hint of spice. It would remind you of the Chianti Classico. The tastecomes like cherries and tart cranberries, with a luscious soft sensation thatlasts down to the finish.
It goes well with pasta, cheese, and meat. Costs US$ 26.00
This French red wine, which has been aged since 1998, is a favorite evenamong the most astute tasters despite its low price. The wine appears very darkgarnet red from the bottle, with bright bouquet of raspberries and strawberrieson the glass. The flavor fills the mouth with juices from a various freshfruits, tastes almost sweet at first but once the citric acidity kicks in, itdevelops into a nice finish.
This wine is an ideal complement on any dinner table as it matches well withbeef dishes and other full-flavored foods. Costs only US$ 7.99. Food Drink – GuideTo.Com
This 1998 vintage wine from France has a high-quality dark garnet color,with ripened black fruits emanating to the nose together with aromas of cedars,roses, black peppers, lavender, and herbs from the mountains of Provence. Ittastes full, a little peppery, and lush on the mouth, with firm acidity andsoft tannins.
This wine goes best with grilled rib-eye steaks, served rare. Costs US$27.99. Food Drink – GuideTo.Com
The bottlecontains a darkly garnet wine that goes deep reddish-violet on the edge. Thebouquet reminds one of a good Claret wine from the Bordeaux region of France asit combines the scents of dark berries and tart cherries with a hint ofCabernet blackcurrant. The aroma also contains some oak, giving the wine fainthints of chocolate and vanilla.
This table wine fills the palate with cherry fruit that contains just theright amount of acidity, which is not a given in a Central Coast wine. Thetaste also has soft tannins and a hint of warmth, thanks to its 14.5% alcoholcontent.
With this kind of bold wine, expect it to go well with uncommon meats likelamb, game, or even buffalo. Costs US$ 17.99. Food Drink – GuideTo.Com
Noteverybody knows that wine goes best with meat, whether it is dark meat likebeef or light meat like fish. Because of this, you cannot blame people whenthey pair wine with the oddest foods. However, if you are interested to watch ahome movie while eating popcorn and drinking a glass of wine, it wouldn’t hurtto know what goes well.
Vegetarian dishes – Vegetable dishes are hard to match withwine for fear that the drink would be too overpowering. However, if we followthe “red with red” rule, we could try matching red wines with heartier disheslike beans, lentils, enchiladas among others. Meanwhile, white wine could gowell with green vegetables.
Chinese food – Being a cuisine that was not created withwine in mind, as well as having a wide variety of meats and exotic spices on asingle dish, it is tough to come up with a singular wine that matches Chinesefood. Most dry European table wines work. Pinot Noir, for instance, goes wellwith Peking Duck. Another good wine choice is the Gewurztraimmer, or evenGerman Riesling, because of its rich and slightly sweet taste.
Spicy food – Thai dishes, curries, and other hot-and-spicydishes generally do not make good wine pairing, as alcohol in the wineinteracts with the “fiery” flavors, thus creating a burning sensation in thepalate. However, if you insist, a modest sparkling wine will do, as well asBeaujolais, American Zinfandel, or Australian Shiraz.
Eggs – The flavors of egg oddly clash with most wines, butit can go well with dry rosés and sparkling wines.
Popcorn – Whether it is buttered or plain salted, a bucketof popcorn has a surprisingly tasty match with sparkling wines. Food Drink – GuideTo.Com
Contraryto popular belief, sushi is not just about raw fish (that would be sashimi). Itsignifies anything that is placed on sushi rice. Although raw fish is commonlyseen on sushi, certain regions in Japan specializes in placing other meats onsushi like bacon and even horse meat. Thus, pairing sushi and wine depends onwhat comes with the rice.
For light-bodied, white-fleshed fish – If you have solefish sushi for dinner, pair it with a light white wine that has the rightamount of acidit and sweetness. Examples of which are drier German wines inKabinett and Spatlese, un-oaked Petit Chablise, Muscadet, and drier CheninBlanc.
For richer or sweeter white-fleshed fish or shellfish – Thelikes of scallop sushi goes well with white wine that is a little bit fuller. Ahigh-quality champagne, for instance, is a good choice, as well as Premier Cru,Grand Cru Chablis, and aged Aussie Semillon. Make sure to go for un-oaked winessince it clashes with some of the elements of sushi.
For hikari mono sushi – For sushi that features fish withsilver skin like mackerel, sardine, or young seabream, go for something herbaland assertive like a Sauvignon Blanc, Loire, or un-oaked Rias Baixas.
For red-fleshed fish – If there is tuna sushi on the table,go for a lighter red with hints of acidity but not too much on tannins. Go forNew World Pinot, Cotes de Beaune reds, lighter Gamay, and Dolcetto. Never pairit with anything “too grapey” or heavy, because the fruit of the wine tends tooverwhelm the fish. Food Drink – GuideTo.Com
Can’tfigure out what to gift a friend who is crazy over wines? How about this WineGrape Varietal Table by Steve and Deborah De Long? It looks like the periodictable of elements, which we used to study back in Chemistry class, but thistime it categorizes the different wine grape varieties all over the world.
The table is divided into reds and whites, with the grape varieties lined upin such a way that users would be able to look at how they relate to oneanother. It also comes with an accompanying reference book called “The Wine andGrape Indexes,” which answers what grape you are drinking with your wine.
The Wine Grape Varietal Table standard edition is available online for onlyUS$ 25, while the deluxe edition–which comes with The Wine and GrapeIndexes”–costs $ 35.
This darkpurple wine comes with ruby-like glints. As it swirls in the glass, the nose isfilled with aromas of plums, cherries, and black fruits that can also be felton the palate with fresh acidity and a distinct edge of tannins. Overall, it isa simple red wine that is designed to make memorable dinners with family andfriends.
It goes well with hamburgers made from local ground beef. However, becauseof its tannins, you may not want to pair it with pasta with meat sauce, pizza,or even on a steak. Costs US$ 11.99. Food Drink – GuideTo.Com
If there isone thing wine connoisseurs go crazy about nowadays, it is from a type of winethat does not seem to be noticed until now. Moscato d’Asti is a lightlysparkling sweet wine with most brands packaged in blue bottles. The wineoriginated from the mountaintop village of Asti, located about 30 miles east ofTurin in northwest Italy. the DOCG-designated wine is made from Muscato Biancogrape with moderate alcohol content of 8 to 10 percent and some residualsugar.
Ideally, it is served as a “breakfast wine” because of its fruitiness andlow alcohol content, although wine experts also recommend it for lunch andholidays. It has decent acidity, with hints of pear, citrus, and orange peel onits bouquet.
