Food and wine matching . . . a beginner's guide

You may have been brought up to think that white wine goes with fish and red wine with meat. That used to be a useful rule of thumb when fish came poached or simply grilled and red meant Bordeaux and Burgundy but now that we eat food and drink wine from all over the world it's an unduly restrictive approach.

* Think about the way the food is cooked rather than central ingredient. Just think how many different ways you can cook chicken for example. You’ll want a different wine if it’s cooked in a creamy mushroom sauce (a chardonnay, I suggest) than you would for a coq au vin (a robust Rhone red).

* Food that is eaten raw, steamed or microwaved generally suits lighter, wines (usually white or ros) than food that is roasted, braised or barbecued (more often reds). Which explains why it works to drink a pinot noir with a bit of seared tuna and a crisp white or rose with a salade nicoise.

* Take your clue from the wines that are served in wine-growing areas. The neutral dry whites that the Italians love are ideal with antipasti, pasta and simply cooked fish. Oysters and muscadet - both from the same area - work perfectly too.

* Weather plays a part as well. If it’s cold and miserable outside (as it is, as I write . . . ) it makes sense to gravitate to beefy reds just as you would to a comforting stew. And vice versa in hot weather: then you want your wines to be refreshing and quaffable

* Finally, tailor your wine to your guests. Are they traditionalists? Wheel out the Chablis and claret. Adventurous? Slap that Argentinian Malbec or Uruguayan Tannat on the table. It’s about wine and people matching too.

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