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Wine & Food
Many wines compliment certain foods, just as others may add flavors by contrast. Food may exaggerate a wine's characteristics. If you eat certain foods that are very tannic, such as walnuts with a wine that is also tannic, such as Bordeaux, the wine tastes very dry and astringent; it may even be considered undrinkable.

Food may diminish a wine's characteristics. An overly tannic wine, which may be unpleasant on it's own may taste extremely good with a rare steak, because the protein in the steak will diminish the effect of the tannin. A wine's flavor can be obliterated completely by food that is very intense; i.e. a spicy meal with a delicate white wine makes no sense.

Wines also contribute new flavors to dishes. A red Zinfandel, which is very fruity, will import its flavor to a dish just as if you had added them. Sometimes this is not a good thing. Red Bordeaux will make your plain white Thanksgiving Turkey leave a distinctive metallic flavor in your mouth.

Make certain foods not as sweet
Taste less tannic with foods such as steak or cheese
Taste more tannic when used with salty foods

Taste fruitier, but less sweet when eaten with salty foods
Go very well with sweet foods

Taste less acidic served with salty foods
Taste less acidic served with slightly sweet foods
Make foods taste a little saltier
Counterbalances oily or fatty foods
Go well with acidic foods

May overwhelm a lightly flavored or delicate dish
Can go well with slightly sweet foods

Light bodied wines with light dishes such as fishes
Medium bodied wines with pasta or burgers
Heavy bodied wines with stews or steaks

To Contrast
Choose a wine that will accent the dish you are serving. Try to choose a wine with flavors or structural elements that are not in the dish you are serving but would enhance it all the same. For example, a dry Sauvignon would go well with a rich bouillabaisse.

White before red
Light before dark
Dry before sweet
Simple before complex, richly flavored wines
Very light red before a rich, full bodied white can also work well

Breathing
Breathing means getting air into your wine. When oxygen in the air combines with the wine it opens up its flavors.

Usually, red wines benefit from breathing. Young red wines are high in tannin. The younger and more tannic the wine the more it needs to breathe. Examples are Cabernet Sauvignons, Red Zinfandels, and Bordeaux

The rule of thumb is one hour. Very young and tannic wines can be left to breathe for three.

Serving Temperatures
Most red wines are best served at cool room temperature 16-18¢XC, 62-65¢XF. Red wine served to warm can taste flat and dull, and leave a burning sensation in the mouth because the taste of the alcohol is accentuated. If your red wine is too warm, put it in the fridge for 15 minutes to revive. Be careful not to let it get too cold, as that would exaggerate the tannic flavor.

White wine is often served too cold. The higher the quality the warmer it should be to fully appreciate its flavor.

Fine Whites are best between 14-16¢XC (58-62¢XF)
Simpler, inexpensive whites are best served colder between 10-12¢XC (50-55¢XF)
Roses and blush wines served cold same as inexpensive white wines
Inexpensive sweet wines should be served cold same as inexpensive white wines
Champagnes and sparkling wines are at their best served very cold about 7¢XC (45¢XF)