Wine for the Masses

Wine Pairs (White Edition)

Part deux... the whitening. White wines can be very nice as a non-dinner wine, but can be paired effectively to work with your nightly meal quite well. Plus, they are nice for a summer drink because of their usual chilled serving temperature.

Simple Whites (Light)
These tend to be simple (thus the grouping) wines that are not generally complex like a dark red, but still have some nuances to them. They can be wonderful surprises at times with soft or flashy finishes. They are some of my favorites for a picnic with that special someone. Usually the wines we think of for this group are those such as Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Reisling, White Zinfandel and Semillon. They also have the benefit of not being very expensive. Any of these are readily available for less than $20 and have excellent qualities. They are best paired with soups and salads, chicken and turkey, fish in light sauces, mild cheeses and egg dishes. They are a nice light wine that do not cover the subtle tastes of some of these dishes.

Dessert Wines
Dessert wines can be some of the most disliked and also loved wines that there are. They are much sweeter than other varietals (with the exception of Port, which is its own thing), but also have some very pleasant qualities. They are a great finish to a rich dinner and allow you to end the meal with a sweet note and gradual conclusion. They include the Ice Wine (Eis Wein), Late Harvest Reisling, Orance Muscat and Auslese Reisling. They are usually paired with poundcake or fruit desserts, mild cheeses, and creamy desserts and custards. They really follow their name as a wine that is best left for the end to a lovely meal.

Sparkling
This odd bunch spans the boundry between meals and desserts. Many times the sparkling wines are misclassified as Champagne but true champagnes must come from that region of France like true scotch must be distilled in Scotland. Sparkling wines include Asti Spumante, Brut, Demi Sec and Moscato D'Asti. They can be sweet to very dry and are not one of my favorite groups. I have had too few excellent sparkling wines and too many bad ones at New Year's Eve parties. They can be paired well with mushroom based pastas, fish with light to rich sauces, pork dishes and yet also with poundcakes or fruit desserts, and soups or salads.

Posted by Ben at 10/18/2005 10:19:00 PM