Imagine the scene it is the end of the week and you have invited friends over for a dinner party in the evening. Keen to impress you take time out to decide on your menu including a starter, main course and finally a desert. Then you suddenly panic about which wine to serve as you do not really know how to select good wine that goes well with your menu.
The truth about choosing wine is that you can make the process as simple or complex as you like. For example one of my good friends enjoys certain brands of wine which are relatively inexpensive but of a sufficient quality and taste. On the other hand I have friend is extremely picky and collects a variety of vintages from the same producers year after year (this is known as collecting verticals).
When it comes to buying wine for a specific menu or occasion here are some general tips that can help you
1) Make sure you match the wine you choose to the food on your menu. Traditionally red wine goes with red meats and red sauces (such as tomato). White wine goes with fish and white meats such as pork, along with any white sauces you serve. Should you decide to serve a white meat with a red sauce or vice-versa it really is just a matter of deciding which flavour you want to stand out the most the sauce or the meat and then matching the wine accordingly
2) To make things interesting you can not only choose wine that compliments your menu. You can also choose to select a good wine that contrasts with the flavours of your dishes. This can actually add real pleasure to the dining experience. For example you can select a really dry wine to go with a sweet dish, or something really fruity tasting to go with meat dish. The point is to enjoy yourself and trust your taste.