Some wine enthusiasts go through elaborate rituals in serving wine, which can be fun and entertaining. But storing and serving wine is really a simple matter of following some basic guidelines.

Which Wine for Which Food?

Many people mistakenly believe that they will ruin the whole meal if they make the "wrong" wine choice, but this tasty decision isn't really as tough as all that. It may help to keep in mind the simple reality that humans have been making wine to go with food for more than 5,000 years, and most wines go very nicely with most dishes.

Wine Rules ...

If you want to talk "rules" of wine and food pairing, the oldest one in the book is red with meat, white with fish or fowl. But rules are meant to be broken. In recent years we've gotten bold and have said it's okay to have Pinot Noir, which is a light red wine, or even Merlot with salmon. Some white wine drinkers will also enjoy their Chardonnay whether liver pâté or a juicy grilled steak is on the menu.

A newer principle than the ancient "red with red," this one makes intuitive sense: Look for a wine with flavor and aroma characteristics that evoke the trademark flavors of your entree. A slightly sweet, rich seafood like lobster or crab makes a wonderful marriage with a slightly sweet, rich white wine. Add a sprig of rosemary to your pan-grilled steak and watch it wake up with the herbal qualities of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux.

Having said that, there are some general guidelines you may find helpful when selecting a wine to enhance your meal.

1. Select light-bodied wines to pair with lighter food, and fuller-bodied wines to go with heartier, more flavorful dishes.

2. Consider how the food is prepared. Is it grilled, roasted, or fried, for instance, and what type of sauce or spice is used?

3. For every food action, there is a wine reaction. When you drink wine by itself it tastes one way, but when you take a bite of food, the wine tastes different. This is because wine is like a spice. Elements in the wine interact with the food to provide a different taste sensation like these basic reactions:

Sweet Foods like Italian tomato sauce, Japanese teriyaki, and honey-mustard glazes make your wine seem drier than it really is so try an off-dry (slightly sweet) wine to balance the flavor (Chenin Blanc, White Zinfandel, Riesling).

High Acid Foods like salads with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, soy sauce, or fish served with a squeeze of lemon go well with wines higher in acid (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir). White Zinfandel, although not as high in acid, can provide a nice contrast to high acid foods.

Vinegar is the natural enemy of wine, so it's wise to push back your wine glass when you're digging into the salad bowl. Appetizers, on the other hand, may run the entire gamut. Consider the primary ingredient of the appetizers and apply the general principles listed on this page. Or go the festive route and open your evening with Champagne!

Bitter and Astringent Foods like a mixed green salad of bitter greens, Greek kalamata olives and charbroiled meats accentuate a wine's bitterness so complement it with a full-flavored forward fruity wine (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot). Big tannic red wines (like many red Zinfandels, and Shiraz or Syrah wines) will go best with your classic grilled steak or lamb chops, as the fat in the meat will tone down the tannin (bitterness) in the wine.

The good news is that it's impossible to ruin a good meal if you select a wine that you enjoy regardless of what the "wine experts" say. Remember, the wine experts are not eating your dinner.