Holiday Match-Making

To find the 'right' wine for hard-to-pair foods, think five flavors

AT THIS TIME of year, the dining-room table groans rather loudly, even before we sit down to partake. Loaded with exotic, special-occasion dishes and surrounded by family and friends, it entices and challenges us. It's only natural to want the wines to rise to the occasion. But which wines can best complement such rich and varied fare?

I take a practical approach to wine and food pairing, especially during the holidays.

First, I look for opportunities to pull out special wines — Champagne for starters, richer white wines for opening courses, older red wines for main courses and something decadent and sweet with dessert.

Second, I try to include as many different wines as possible. A half bottle per wine-drinking guest is a good starting point, but as long as no one feels pressured to finish every glass or empty every bottle, it's fine to up that to a bottle per person. Have a dump bucket placed conveniently nearby, and let guests know it's perfectly all right to use it. And remember that in any mixed group, there will be some who really don't like white wines and some who really can't drink red, so you'll want to offer a bottle or two of each.

Now, about that menu. Your palate will compare and contrast the flavors and textures of every bite and sip. Multiply six different wines by a dozen or more foods, and you see what you're up against. Big fun!

It's good to remember that there is never just one perfectly "right" wine for any meal, but several can be very good, and one is likely most simpatico with each dish. Try thinking about the meal in terms of five key flavor groups: salty/briny; spicy/hot; vinegary/acidic; green/vegetal; sweet. I've left out savory (think steak and mushrooms) because it's a no-brainer — go red, go deep, go long!

As for dessert, that's a topic unto itself. Just remember: The wine must always be sweeter than the dessert it is served with, which is why dry red wine with chocolate is not usually successful.

The other flavor groups require a bit more strategizing. For each course or phase of the meal, try to decide which of these flavors dominates, then choose your wine accordingly. I've noted some budget bottle recommendations for each main flavor group.

SALTY/BRINY

We often start a meal with a mix of salty and briny appetizers. Fresh oysters and other seafood nibbles, olives, salted nuts, chips, smoked meats and hard cheeses — they all hit the tongue with the appetite-building flavors of salt and brine. Champagnes and other sparkling wines are the answer here. They lift any party off the ground quickly, and they reinforce the palate-cleansing aspect of the foods. You need not break the bank to pour everyone a glass or two.

Recommended: A Spanish cava from a value producer such as Codorníu or Freixenet.

SPICY/HOT

Hot and spicy foods are all over the map as far as ingredients go. They can be vegetarian, seafood, poultry or meat, noodles or pasta, soups or wraps. But they all burn, so you'll want to fight fire with fire. Earthy, peppery red wines are perfect here, especially budget reds from southern France and Spain. But remember, there is a limit to how much heat each of us can take. If you like it really, really hot, then try refreshing your palate with a well-chilled, high-acid white from Portugal, Friuli or Rias Baixas.

Recommended: Cermeño Tinto 2004; $11. For spicy meat dishes, this Spanish red's bright, spicy fruit will work well.

VINEGARY/ACIDIC

Salads are notoriously difficult for wines, especially when the salad includes tomatoes or has a sharp, vinegary dressing. Other condiments and dishes, such as salsa and ceviche, can also carry a lot of acid and vinegar. Here the trick is to match tartness to tartness. High-acid foods make tannic wines more tannic, and sweeter wines sweeter. But a wine with naturally tart, lemony flavors just sidles right up to the food and shares the table happily. Think dry riesling, pinot grigio or a grassy sauvignon blanc, but avoid white wines that have spent time in new oak barrels.

Recommended: Pedroncelli 2004 "East Side Vineyards" Sauvignon Blanc; $10. This new release is a knockout, ripe and juicy with pineapple/grapefruit flavors.

GREEN/VEGETAL

Veggies such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans and artichokes have flavor compounds that really play havoc with wines, especially red wines. Your strategy here is to grill or sauté the veggies with olive oil, rather than steaming them. The alternative is to smother them in a rich butter and cream sauce. For unsauced preparations, try an unoaked chardonnay from Australia or Oregon; for richer sauces, you can jump into the more buttery, oaky styles from California or Washington.

Recommended: Duck Pond 2003 Chardonnay; $9. Soft and tropical, this barrel-fermented Columbia Valley wine will be just right with light cream sauces.

SWEET

Sweet foods are not necessarily desserts. A side dish such as baked squash with butter and maple syrup, or a meat entrée slathered in fruit sauce can bring sweet to the main stage. Match the wine to the sweet, rather than the savory, by choosing a ripe, fruit-driven red wine from the New World. A Washington merlot, a California zinfandel or an Australian shiraz would all be good candidates here.

Recommended: Alice White 2005 Shiraz; $7. The best of the Alice White wines, its lightly sweet, fresh and plummy fruit flavors will handle sweet fruit or tomato sauces, barbecue or pizza.

Paul Gregutt writes the Wednesday wine column for The Seattle Times and covers Northwest wine for the Wine Enthusiast magazine and Tom Stevenson's "Wine Report" books. Write to him at wine@seattletimes.com. Barry Wong is a Seattle-based freelance photographer. He can be reached at barrywongphoto@earthlink.net.