If you are taking wine as a gift to a dinner party, don't worry about matching the wine to the food unless you have been requested to do so.

Balance flavor intensity. Pair light-bodied wines with lighter food and fuller-bodied wines with heartier, more flavorful, richer and fattier dishes. Consider pairing opposites. Very hot or spicy foods — some Thai dishes, or hot curries for example — often work best with sweet dessert wines.

Match flavors. An earthy Pinot Noir goes well with mushroom soup and the grapefruit/citrus taste of Sauvignon Blancs goes with fish for the same reasons that lemon does.

Consider how the food is prepared. Delicately flavored foods — poached or steamed — pair best with delicate wines. It's easier to pair wines with more flavorfully prepared food — braised, grilled, roasted or sautéed. Pair the wine with the sauce, seasoning or dominant flavor of the dish. For example, our Meat House Steak Tips would pair nicely with a house merlot. In contrast, Marinated Meat House Italian Chicken Breast would serve well with a Riesling. The high sugar content of the Riesling with offset the savory flavor of the chicken without overpowering like a cabernet would.