While I agree with my husband Robin to a certain degree that you should drink what you like with what you like I must add a serious BUT…

Nothing signifies a culinary symphony so well as a wine perfectly paired with the proper food. I have been fascinated by the wonderful fact that wine paired properly can make the meal, and vice versa. For example, the past two weekends we hosted the Capital City wine trail. We had many visitors who each had the opportunity to do a mini wine pairing with us. I paired our Statehouse wine (a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot) with an appetizer of a toasted baguette with angus roast beef topped with melted blue cheese. Mind you, some of our guests did not like dry red wine, others did not like blue cheese. However, I was please that on several occassions the attendees raved about how the two together tasted so good, that people not liking red wines, remarked that they could drink it paired with the roast beef, and even those saying, “I don’t like blue chesse,” remarked that with the wine it was wonderful. Another pairing that brought suprise from our guests was the pairing of our Ohio Catawba wine with pepperjack cheese. Once again, people who normally don’t like a sweeter wine were delighted when they tasted the wine with the contrasting spiciness of the peperjack cheese. Finally pairing our Raspberry Summer wine with chocolate turtle cheesecake is a match made in heaven!

Likewise, it is good to know what foods to AVOID with certain wines. For example, avoid seafood, fish and spicy dishes wih a Cabernet Sauvignon, avoid red meat with Champagne and avoid chocolate desserts with Sauternes.

So if you are content drinking your favorite wine with your favorite food, I salute you. You probably wouldn’t be doing it if the pairing wasn’t pleasing. However, if you are of an adventurous spirit as I am, and you like the excitement of trying new foods and wines, I am providing you with a food and wine pairing guide that I have assembled (with a little help from Smokey Bare, food editor, a wonderful book called What to Drink with What You Eat (Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page), and the Missouri Wine Council.) Use the chart as a general guide adding your personal favorite pairings.  

Wyandotte Food and Wine Pairing Guide

I welcome you to write in with some of your own discoveries, as you delve into the marvelous and expansive possibilities of food and wine pairings!