Salty or briny foods also affect the “fruit” in wines. Salty dishes call for aromatic wines with high acidity, some sweetness, low tannins, and/or intense fruitiness.

Tart foods can diminish some of a wine’s fruitiness. Serve them with lightly sweet, very fruity, and/or full bodied white wines. In some cases, tart or crisp wines will also work well.

Spicy/hot foods lessen some of a wine’s fruitiness too. Serve them with lightly sweet, very fruity, low tannin, and/or crisp wines. Stay away from higher alcohol, tannic red, and/or oaky wines.

Rich dishes can be too intense for delicately flavored, lighter bodied wines. Serve with full flavored, full bodied, higher acid wines.

Fish and game can overshadow mildly flavored, medium bodied, dry wines. Try these with very fruity, full bodied, high acid, and/or medium sweet wines.

Smoked foods overpower all but the fruitiest, richest wines. Low tannin, extremely rich, and/or moderately sweet wines work best.

Cheese and wine make a classic pairing. Match the 'weight' of the cheese to the wine, or vice versa. For a special after dinner treat, try contrasting a rich, salty cheese with a dessert wine.

Storing Wine

Unless you only buy wines for immediate consumption, following a few easy and simple steps will ensure your stored wine will be at its absolute best when you open it. Extreme heat or cold, fluctuations in temperature – up or down, sunlight, vibration, and exposure to oxygen all will accelerate the “life” of your wine.


Store wine on its side (keeping the cork moist and tight in the bottle) in a dark, temperature controlled environment to get the most enjoyment from your wines. This can be as simple as a few shelves in a little used closet or cabinet. Maintaining the ideal temperature range of 55-60 degrees requires a wine refrigerator, available in any number of sizes, styles and prices.

Most wines are made to be consumed at or soon after release, but even minimum storage and bottle time will allow your wine to evolve and develop, enhancing its enjoyment.

Buying Wine Online

SShopping on the internet is a big and growing business, but before you consider buying wine online, you need to do a fair amount of research and consider whether this approach gets you the best price and value.

More than half the states in the country now have laws allowing the shipment of wine to the consumer. In some states, that decision is handed down to local jurisdictions. Florida is a wine direct-shipment friendly state – once you’ve paid the tax. Beyond any legal obstacles, you need to know its full cost and how the wine will be cared for from the winery’s door to yours.

Is it air-freighted and trucked in temperature controlled vehicles? Think you’re saving money or purchasing wines unavailable in the wine store? Check carefully. The added cost of shipping can be a dollar a bottle or more and most wine merchants can often source your sought-after wine at or below the wine “e-tailers” advertised price.

Besides, do you really want to sit on your doorstep waiting to sign for your wine delivery, which is required by law in all states? Supporting your local merchant may save you money and time.

Wine Openers

Since most wines are still closed with a cork, choosing an easy-to-use wine opener can be an important decision.

There are a number of wine opener options on the market and most work fairly well –except those provided with room service in hotels. You know, those little plastic tubes where you slide the opener piece into the handle. And remember the “Ah-So”, that two-pronged opener that often either broke off or pushed the cork into the bottle? I try not to think about the number of times I punctured my palm trying to get the prongs lined up with the cork. The traditional “waiters” corkscrew is a great inexpensive tool, but my recommendation is that you invest in the “rabbit” style opener which takes much of the effort out of opening your wines. Prices have come down for the “rabbit” openers as they grow in popularity and they make for a great gift for your wine friends. Available at most wine stores or order online from www.wineenthusiast.com.

Eat, drink and be merry!