Food - Wine Pairing Tips For French and Italian Wines

Many people are intimidated by the task of selecting wine in a fine restaurant. This article is intended to provide a simple guide that will enable anyone to feel confident enough to choose a wine that will impress their dinner guests. The focus is on French and Italian wines.

While there are no set rules for pairing wine with food, generally a full-bodied red wine should accompany rich and seasoned food. White wines are better suited for lighter fare.

These are some of my personal favorite wine and food pairings for French and Italian wines:

Beef = Amarone,
Cheese = Beaujolais,
Chicken = Chardonnay,
Cold Meats = Tavel,
Chile = Grumello,
Chinese Food = Soave,
Clams and Oysters = Champagne,
Duck = Pouilly-Fume,
Fish = Muscadet,
Ham = Pinot Grigio,
Lamb = Saint-Emilion,
Ossco Bucco = Barbaresco,
Pate = Saint-Veran,
Pheasant = Vino Nobile di Montepulciano,
Pork = Pouilly-Fuisse,
Red Sauce = Chianti,
White Sauce = Pinot Grigio,
Sauerbraten = Riesling,
Shell Fish = Gavi,
Steak = Gattinara,
Stew = Barolo,
Veal = Soave, and
Venison = Pomerol

In the end, it is really a matter of personal preference and what suits your palate. If your restaurant does not have these particular recommendations in their wine cellar, you can always ask the sommelier to recommend something comparable.

These suggestions should enable you to at least buy or order to the proper wine to accompany dinner. Of course, there is a lot more to know about ordering wine, wine tasting, wine production, and wine conversation.

Please feel free to email me at sales@thewinebook.com with questions on French or Italian wine. You may also visit my website at www.thewinebook.com for more information.

Angelo Cataldo is an avid wine collector with over 20 years experience in Italian and French wines. He has also travelled extensively in the wine producuing regions of Italy and France.

For those interested in learning more, Mr. Cataldo's book, The Wine Book, is the perfect beginners wine guide: short, easy to read, and small enough to take with you. In addition to food wine pairing examples, it includes wine descriptions you can use in conversation or at wine tasting parties, wine tasting tips, and information on Italian and French wine regions and production. The Wine Book is small enough to carry to a restaurant and refer to discreetly.

The Wine Book also includes checklists for tasting notes. This has made it a favorite give-away for wine tastings and events. Fine New Jersey Restaurants, such as Aldo's, The Brickhouse, and Pane and Vino have provided it to their customers for just that purpose.

---

How to Order Wine in a Restaurant

Ordering wine in a restaurant is not much different than... Read More

Beer, Wine and Your Bones

If you like the taste of a good brew, then... Read More

Champagne

Champagne is without question the finest sparkling wine made in... Read More

Pairing Beer With Food

Pairing beer with the fine cuisine has recently come to... Read More

Chablis Wine

Chablis is thought to have originated in northern Spain and... Read More

Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

Cabernet Sauvignon is the grape responsible for the wines of... Read More

Barbera Wine

Barbera is a wine grape variety from Monferrato in Piemonte,... Read More

Ideal Wine Temperature

The ideal temperature to store wines is between 55ºF and... Read More

Wine and Your Health

During the 1990s, a physician voiced on a national TV... Read More

Wine, Wine, Wine

What in the world is up!Was there a full moon... Read More

Choosing that Perfect Wine for a Dinner Party

So, you find yourself having been invited to a dinner... Read More

Australian Wines

Australia's wine industry has boomed in the past ten years.... Read More

Hosting A Wine Tasting Party

As your love and knowledge of wine grows, it is... Read More

Explore the U.S. Wine Trails

Follow a Local Wine Trail to Discover the Secrets of... Read More

Whisky Syndicates

Whisky syndicates are groups of private owners and many have... Read More

Bordeaux Wine

Bordeaux is a region in France that produces some of... Read More

An Introduction to Wine

What is wine?Wine has been made for centuries from just... Read More

Tempranillo?s Role As A New Varietal Wine In Australia

Tempranillo is the premium red wine grape variety from the... Read More

Wine Etiquette With Ease

Correct wine etiquette makes the tasting experience much more enjoyable.... Read More

Chardonnay Wine

Chardonnay is the world's most popular white wine grape. Chardonnay... Read More

What is Corked Wine?

Keeping a wine bottle sealed is probably the most important... Read More

Riesling Wine

The most famous cool climates for Riesling wine are in... Read More

A Private Owners Guide to Bottling Fine Whisky

The majority of private owners of whisky casks are looking... Read More

Tasting Wine

Wine Tasting Component I: LookThe first step you have to... Read More

Merlot Wine

Merlot wine is a rich, soft wine with the flavor... Read More

Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting Component I: LookThe first step you have to... Read More

Carignane Wine

The Carignane grape variety is one of the most widely... Read More

Wine Tasting -- The Traditional Way

Wine tasting is properly known as 'Wine Degustation'. It is... Read More

Pairing Food and Wine is a Matter of Taste

First off let me say that I am in no... Read More

The Old Fashioned: Two Recipes of an Underrated Classic

Like many mixed drinks, the Old Fashioned has a number... Read More

Alchoholism, A Major Diesease?

Alcoholism can be given a lot of definitions and all... Read More

France Car Hire

Here is a quick summary of the different French wine... Read More

Red Wine Compound May Extend Life

Good news! A recent study suggested that resveratrol, a red... Read More