Wine is one of the oldest and most basic foods. It is meant to be enjoyed in context with food. Don't be intimidated. Hopefully the guidelines below will encourage you to try different wines with different foods to find what suits your tastes. Drink what you like; it's part of the joy of cooking and eating.

The old rules about matching the color of the wine with the color of the food are no longer valid. People like to be much more creative with their menus.

The variety of the grape and how the wine is made (its style) are more important consideration than mere color. A red such as a Pinot Noir can be soft, delicate and very subtle. Sauvignon Blanc (a white varietal) can be made in a style that is powerful, heavy and herbaceous and can completely overpower a delicate fish dish.

The key, then, to matching wines with food is to understand a little more about the flavors of wine.

Here are a few guidelines that we use in deciding what wine to serve:

• With briny, salty dishes, serve wines that are off-dry, low in alcohol and without tannins.
• With high acid dishes, serve a high acid wine.
• with rich-tasting dishes, serve a rich white wine or a lighter red wine.
• Serve smoked fishes with off-dry, lower alcohol wine.
• Serve deep-fried foods with very crisp, high acid dry white wines or a good California sparkling wine.
• Serve spicy foods with low-alcohol, off-dry or low-tannin, fruity red wines.