What wines go with which dinner courses?
Sherry is usually the first wine offered at dinner, usually with a soup that contains sherry. A dry white wine is served with fish or with an entree to which it is complementary. Red wine is normally served with red meats, duck and game. At less formal dinners, a claret or light red wine may be drunk throughout the meal. When champagne is the only wine served, it is served as soon as the first course has begun and then throughout the meal. When other wines are included, champagne is served with the meat course. Appetizers – Since the concept of appetizers is to tease and please the palate before a meal, dry or medium, light bodied acidic white wines are usually good choices because they have a refreshing quality that tends to stimulate one’s appetite. The carbonation in a sparkling wine is great with many hor d’oeuvres. Fish – Dry white wine (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc) usually pair best with seafood because the wine’s crispness allows the food’s subtler flavors to surface. Also, ligh