From Arneis to Asti - a Long Way to Zinfandel

Bostonist doesn’t need you to become as knowledgeable as the city’s finest sommelier, but getting a little more familiar with wine can make a world of a difference at your next dinner, your next party, or your next date.

A good place to start is to understand the basics of pairing wine with food. Although there are no rigid rules, there are some useful guidelines that can help you decide on what to drink. Your wine and food should compliment each other; one should not overpower the other. This balance refers to the weight, or body, of the wine, and intensity of flavor. Concerning the food, you should take in account its acidity, saltiness, and sweetness.

Indian and Asian dishes are spicy but will generally not sear your taste buds into oblivion and prevent you from appreciating a spicy Gewurztraminer from Alsace, or an aromatic Riesling from Austria. These are both smart white wine choices for their exotic perfume and vivid fruitiness, respectively.

Pasta will go with anything- the sauce is the real deciding factor here. A dry Classico Chianti is a reliable choice for most meaty and/or tomato sauces. For creamy sauces and pesto, stick with a dry white wine like a Chardonnay. If you come across an Arneis on the menu, get it! It is a delicious white from Italy’s Piedmont region that tastes nutty and fruity and at times picks up the essence of truffles that also grow in the area. Arneis isn't going to be on most menus in the Hub, the secret is that having it chilling in your fridge is even more impressive. You can be sure to find this winner at Martignetti’s 1650 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton.
If you’ve made it to dessert, you can wuss-out and get a coffee or you can keep on drinking. Chocolate and ice cream are hard to pair with wine, so just get the coffee-but make it Irish. If you are having fresh fruit, a fruit tart, or even a slice of cheesecake you can order a deliciously sweet and light Muscato or fresh, bubbly Asti to compliment your treat. Decadent dessert and wines will flow when Finale opens its third Boston-area location in Coolidge Corner.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Paul Aloe
Post contributed by Victoria Daskal who urges you to hold out on hitting send on your holy-crap-I-know-about-wine e-vite to all your friends for your very own wine and cheese shin-dig until next week when she'll tell us all about cheese, what wines go well with it, and where to get your vino on the cheap.