There's no doubt in our minds that an appropriate wine and food combination adds to the enjoyment of meal, but everyone has a different idea as to what the best matches might be. So don't get too bogged down in wine options- it's all up to individual taste at the end of the day. However, throughout the book, particularly in the entree and main course sections, we suggest a style of wine we believe will be the best match to a dish.

Often friends call us in advance to see what's on the menu so they can bring a suitable wine.  We always aim to have a bottle or to on hands that we feel `will be interesting matches with a course, then see what turn up on the night and get on with it.

We've put together the overview in this chapter to help when you are choosing appropriate drinks to serve with a particular style of food and dishes. We've avoided too much wine waffle and flowery description and opted instead for straightforward matching suggestions. Wine is such a subject topic, though, that this should be considerer as a guidelines rather than hard-and-faster rules.

When choosing what to drink don't just stick with the local options. There's an increasing selection of wine from Italy, France, Spain and Germany in bottle shops. These are some of our favorite food wines as they often have great savory characteristics, making them excellent matches with food.

At a Glance

Sparkling white - Appetizers and oyster
Sparkling red - Roast turkey, duck and terrines
Aromatic whites - Asian-inspired dishes and goat's cheese
Unwooded whites - Antipasto and vegetables
Wooded whites - Chicken and pasta
Rose - Salmon and quail
Italian reds - Tagines and roast lamb
Big reds - Beef, Kangaroo and game
Dessert wines - Fruit desserts
Fortified - Chocolate and rich fruit cakes


Sparkling Wine

Sparkling White
Sparking wine, or champagne, as the traditional French product is called, is the perfect drink to serve as everyone begins to arrive. It makes a great tipple to match with classic seafood and vegetarian appetizers such as Smoked Salmon Blinis, oysters and French Cheese Puffs. When buying a sparkling wine to enjoy with food choose a dry style rather than a sweet one.

Sparkling red
We are big fans of sparkling red. Like sparkling white it makes a great drink to enjoy at the start of a meal, but also goes with some mains course. Its combination of gutsy red wine flavors, a hint of sweetness and bubbles makes it terrific match with appetizers that are quite full flavored or have a bit of chill in them.
White Wine

Riesling
Riesling is finally coming back on to people radar after many years in the wilderness. For us Riesling has always been the perfect choice when we want a crisp, dry wine. It is available in a number of different styles, with the most popular offering a combination of fresh, zesty lemon and lime flavours - usually in younger, current-release wines.

Chardonnay
Chardonnay dominated the white wine market for many years and for some people it was all they drank. We've never been that keen, as most chardonnays used to be so jam-packed with oak that it was all you could taste. When chardonnay is made with care, however, it can be a brilliant match with food.

Chablis
Chablis is the region when chardonnay is grown in France. We often find it has a more minerally characteristic than locally made chardonnays, and to our minds it is a more food-friendly wine.

More to come soon.......