RIDGE, 2001 California Sonoma Station Zinfandel

This is a clear, dark-garnet wine, showing glints of bright reddish-purple against the light. Slightly Port-like aromas surround ripe blackberries with warm vinous and alcoholic notes, and the alcohol, although not unusual for a Zin at 14.5 percent, doesn't seem fully integrated with the fruit on the palate. More powerful than jammy, the flavor blends sweetish blackberry fruit with a lemon-squirt of acidity and a wallop of alcoholic warmth. It's varietally correct but just a bit lean.

FOOD MATCH: This is a case where a wine really needs a food match with enough muscularity to hold it in balance, and Buffalo or Filet Mignon fill that role nicely. For a meatless match, try a Chili bulked up with roasted red peppers, black olives, onions and sharp Cheddar.

WEB LINK: www.ridgewine.com

VERAMONTE 2002 Casablanca Valley Sauvignon Blanc
This clear, pale brass-color wine shows a greenish hue in the glass. Ripe grapefruit aromas bespeak freshness and fruit, with wafts of floral and grassy notes to add a touch of complexity on the nose. Fresh citric flavors are snappy and tart, with lemony acidity lingering in a clean and surprisingly long finish.

FOOD MATCH: This food-friendly wine will give good service with a range of fare from poultry to pork or fish. One can imagine this wine handling some food with some kick to it too.

WEB LINK: www.veramonte.com

SERVES: 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds tomatoes
  
• 1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 1/2 pound Peekytoe or backfin crabmeat, picked over
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped basil
  
• 1 teaspoon very finely chopped jalapeño
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  
• 1 ripe Hass avocado, coarsely chopped
  

When it comes to the subject of matching food and wine, there are some striking differences of opinions among wine lovers. For convenience, I've generalized these stances into four categories: the nihilist, the legalist, the anarchist and the pragmatist. Which are you?

The negative: it's all a load of nonsense
This is probably the most extreme position, and, yes, I do know some fairly serious wine lovers who take this view, even though it is probably only a minority. These people think that all writing about food and wine matching is just a lot of hot air; that the whole subject is a nonsense because most of the time they drink wine on its own, and when they do drink it with a meal they don't put food and wine into their mouths at the same time. I disagree. I really do think that the highest purpose for a wine is for it to be matched with appropriate food, and that synergistic combinations do exist between food and wine where each brings out the best in the other.

The Darwinist: it's an exact science, with a full set of rules
A traditional position. In some books you'll even find whole chapters devoted to outlining the best wine matches for a surprisingly elaborate list of foodstuffs. I must say that this is hard to do across the board with a generic brush. This can appear quite intimidating! Personally, I think such lists are unnecessarily prescriptive, and too restrictive. Also, these lists are almost exclusively focused on old world classic wines and don't take into account the new world options now available, many of which make superb food matches.

The anarchist: tear up the rule book -- anything goes
This is becoming the trendy position, and has been adopted by quite a few wine writers desperate not to appear stuffy and conventional. If you want to drink red wine with fish, fine, they say. Or if you want to drink Sauvignon Blanc with steak, that's OK too. But this is poor advice. This is a sure way to ruin perfectly great food and wine.

The pragmatist: few really bad matches, few really good ones
Surprise, surprise! This is the position I'm going to speak out for. I think there are some guiding principles in food and wine matching that act as helpful foundations. For example, white wines are generally better with fish, and red wines pair best with red meats. You'll probably find that there are few really bad wine and food matches, but plenty of adequate ones and many good ones. Occasionally, the synergy is achieved and pure balance is in every bite. For me…A Sauvignon Blanc with Goat Cheese!!

Here’s some tips if you have a few couples coming your way…

Count eight hors d'oeuvres per person per hour when you're not serving a meal.

• Balance the menu: offer hot skewers alongside room-temperature dips, rich cheese straws next to low-fat poached shrimp, spicy quesadillas beside delicate crab salad.
  
• Provide at least one vegetarian offering.
  
• Consider your kitchen equipment. If you have only a standard range, don't limit yourself to stovetop dishes--serve a combination of stovetop, baked, raw, room-temperature and cold foods.
  
• Choose a few make-ahead dishes so there's less to do on the day of the party.
  
• Stay away from dips if you're worried about staining your carpet.
  
• Decorate platters with whole spices, shells, stones or colorful dried bean compositions. But don't be surprised when some guests think the garnishes are edible, whether they're Scotch bonnet chiles, peppercorns or flowers. People have even been known to eat decorative pebbles.