WINE WITH FOODS - COMBINATIONS THAT WORK (continued)
Fowl
Classical choices for poultry that is fried or grilled are red wines, like bourgogne, or some finer pinot noir. Same choices include the game birds, like pheasant, goose, duck, etc. These birds have lots of special flavor and need to be put in the same league as the strongely flavored aged wines. For less flavorful parts of some birds, like chicken breasts, that are not cooked with too many spices and other enhancers, it is better to accompany the dish with a dry white wine, like riesling. But if you serve the chicken grilled, spicy, and with brown sauces, then try it with a red wine, or some stronger flavored aged white wine. If you have any sauce that is based on some kind of wine, then drink this very wine to the dish.
Meat
Meat and red wine - the classic combination. Like a hand in a glove. This is simply because the natural flavor of the meat is stronger than other foods, and it needs to be fulfilled by some tannic and full-bodied red wines. So, try any of these simpler tannic and spicy wines like cabernet sauvignon, or valpolicella. For the stronger flavored dishes, with more spices or grilled flavor, go with the fine Bordeaux or Rhône wines, or some stronger wines from Piemonte. It is not much of a difficult choice here, just go for the tannic wines with body and maybe some age. You can use the same reasoning when selecting wine for game meat, or for lamb - they have a strong natural flavor and need a similar company.
What about the white wines? Never with meat? Actually, you can try some of the more strongely flavored, aged, white wines but they tend to suit better with the young meat like veal or some of the less flavored, tender parts of pork.
Cheese
Like with meat, cheese is best to eat with a red wine, simply because of the strong flavor of the food. Of course, the obvious exceptions, when you have young cheeses that still haven't developed a strong flavor, then you can try to combine them with some of the aged white wines. The rule with cheese is as simple as with meat. More flavorful cheese needs a more flavorful wine, and the special characteristics should match each other. For example, the biting feel of parmesan cheese should be matched with a really biting feel of e.g. amarone wine. Brie and camembert cheese are good with more fruity red wines. Goat cheese is good with an aged sauvignon blanc. Gorgonzola, roquefort, and these sorts of cheeses are better with sweet and fruity wines (classical combinations here include roquefort and sauternes).
Desserts
At the end of a meal it is so nice with a good dessert! The grape that fits maybe all desserts is the muscat grape, and there are many different wines made of it, and they can be tried with many different desserts. Sauternes is not that perfect with all desserts, but it can be combined with some fruity pastries. Speaking of fruits, apple cakes and other apple and 'likewise' desserts are good with madeira. This wine ís also suitable for crème brûlée and similar desserts, that can also be made with this wine. For chocolates the choice is more difficult, but sweet sherry or aged porter wine are worth trying. And, most people are satisfied if they get some champagne with their desserts, in case you forget what is good with what.
So, these are the classic and not so classic ways of combining wines with different foods. The usual choice is to match strong flavored food with aged, full-bodied, spicy wines, and vice-versa: match delicate foods with delicate wines. Then, the particular elements of wine flavor - minerality, fruitiness, acidity, tannins, sweetness - should be considered in the second place (but are as important!). Good luck and try for yourself!