Picking the perfect wine for a meal is something that many people feel unsure about. Below we provide some guidelines with the goal of creating a harmony between food and wine. Anyone who has had a glass of wine with a meal already knows his or her taste preference. If this is you, don't second guess your preference if it is right or wrong. If you like a particular wine and food combination, then enjoy it. If having guests over, don't rely completely on your own preference. What applies to foods, applies also to wines: they fit better to one season or another. Heavy red wines fits better to late autumn and winter times when its cold outside. A light, fruity wine fits better to summer. A sourness from both wine and food multiplies. This means that combining a sour, dry wine with a sour, acidic dish creates an overwhelming sourness. Also, a dry or medium dry wine does not go well with a sweet dessert. For dessert, its best to stick with a Beerenauslese or Eiswein. For spicy Asian foods, select an aromatic fruity wine, such as a Gewurztraminer or Riesling.

The old rule - pair red meat and roasts with red wine / pair poultry and fish with white wine - works fine, but don't be limited to this. One must also take into consideration how the meat was prepared. For example, grilled chicken or fish go very well with a red wine. Boiled or stewed beef or pork goes very well with the acidity from a white wine. When cooking with wine, be sure to select a wine of good quality and taste otherwise your food will taste of bad wine. To emphasize the sweetness or spiciness of a meal, select a wine with a higher alcohol content. Pair dishes, with bitter undertones, with sweet wines to soften the bitterness. Heavy, rich meals pair well with acidic, alcohol-rich wines. Sparkling wines taste sweeter when paired with meals due to the carbonation.If you're getting excited about grilling season, you've probably already checked in on our tips for the best way to grill sausages, and stocked up on condiments and buns. But what will you drink?

We love smoky rauchbier and fresh IPA with sausage, but there are options for wine drinkers as well, whether you're making classic grilled hot dogs with ketchup and mustard or branching out to bratwurst with sauerkraut or spicy Italian sausage with sweet and sour peppers.best port wine We asked sommeliers from around the country for their sausage and wine pairing advice. buy wine bottles for homemade wine "The biggest misconception is the idea that sausages should be paired with red wine or that people should just opt for beer. box of wine songAlsatian or German riesling works almost all the time with nearly all sausage dishes. wine for mac help

Rich, high acid, flavorful white wines like those from the Burgundy or its more affordable neighbor, the Jura, are outstanding options as well. If you want red wine, I would stick with something light in body with high acid and just a hint of tannin. best red box wine 2013The Jura comes to mind, with their great Trousseaus and Poulsards, but you could also go for a nice juicy Beaujolais or a lovely light bodied Loire Valley red. best wine prices bostonAt the end of the day, the sausage is likely only one component of the dish, and I would always consider all ingredients before settling on a pairing."best sweet wine at world market—Jess Hereth (Olympic Provisions)can u buy wine on sunday in sc

"Gruner Veltliner, Chablis, or a dry Riesling are all great pairings with brats, dogs, and spicy sausages—even if they're loaded with mustard, peppers, and onions. what red wine can you drink with fishWith crisp citrus and mineral flavors backed with acidity, each will do a great job of elevating the meaty, savory flavors in your bun without conflicting with the vinegar in spicy mustard. Even an off-dry Riesling would be a great fit giving a nice tug-and-pull to the sweet, savory and sour flavors. If you must have a red, go with those that have ample fruit and loads of acid, like Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir."—Ian Becker (Absinthe Group) "The no-brainer pairing for sausages is, of course, riesling. Picture yourself at an Heuriger, a sort of Austrian wine tavern where you might have someone in the corner playing a zither, eating sausages and crushing crisp, dry Riesling by the liter, and you'll be feeling the gemütlickeit.

It doesn't have to be bone dry, or even Austrian, but the ever present acidity is what's going to enliven even a ballpark dog. For a red, I always like a good Cru Beaujolais, e.g. Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, etc., in this situation, with just enough juicy red fruit. Both assume you don't want the simplest solution, though: beer."—Chad Walsh (The Dutch) "You are right to be saying beer is the best thing with sausages...it is...but when you are in the mood for wine, I'd head to the big reds, such as softer style Zinfandel. There is a chance you could go with a more mild wine, but in this instance I would say make the wine fun and let the food have the complexity."—Paul Einbund (Frances and Seam Wines) "As with almost everything food-related, it's all about the condiments: as long as the wine and the sauce work together, everything else should fall into place! For the brats, I think the classic pairing of Alsace Riesling is on the money; a little sweet fruit to counter the sour of the sauerkraut and the spice of the mustard is key, and these are white wines with enough texture and body to stand up to the sausage (the Grand Cru bottlings from Dirler-Cadé are pretty magical)."

—Mia Van De Water (North End Grill) "Pick a wine with a nice level of acidity. For brats cooked in beer and mustard with sauerkraut, I'd go with a dry Lambrusco like Ca Montanari 'Opera Secco' from Emilia-Romagna. The bright ripe fruit is a great contrast to the sauerkraut and it's light enough to not overpower or get in the way." "For brats cooked in beer with mustard and sauerkraut, you're going to want something that doesn't conflict with the sauerkraut but that has enough acidity to stand up to it. You are also going to want something that counteracts some of the spice from the mustard. I would go for a wine with a hint of residual sugar. Riesling or Pinot Gris (something Alsatian, like Albert Boxler) is going to be a shoe-in, but something effervescent like a sparkling Vouvray demi-sec, or even a Bugey-Cerdon (Patrick Bottex's is my favorite) would be great, too." "Pairing wine with sausage is the easy part; it's all the condiments that can throw you for a loop. With sauerkraut, I'd stick to the obvious: savory, snappy Gruner Veltliner from Austria, or a leaner, fresher style of dry Riesling from somewhere like the Pfalz.

The tartness of sauerkraut makes pairing a red more challenging, so stick with an inexpensive crisp white."—Grant Reynolds (Charlie Bird) For bratwurst with mustard, look to Poulsard, one of the Jura's unique red grapes. It produces a light-bodied red with notes of black cherry and strawberry. The grape doesn't have much pigment, so it looks more like a rosé than a big, extracted red wine. This wine will let the food take the center stage while the persistent acidity will ready you for the next bite."—Ryan Arnold (Lettuce Entertain You) "When I think of brats with mustard and sauerkraut, I think of Oregon Riesling. 'Memorista' Riesling by Ovum Wines is my new favorite out of the Willamette Valley and it is a dead ringer for a dry Riesling out of the Mosel Valley. It's got that perfect harmony of mineral, lemon, smoke and salt that screams for a rich sausage and it's got the acidity to deal with the sauerkraut and mustard." "Wine with brats: I would pour a fairly fruit driven Austrian Gruner Veltliner, something that has a pretty rich stone fruit component with smoky, white pepper notes.

Heidler Thal Vineyard Kamptal, Austria 2012 is a good example."—Mark Mendoza (Coi / Daniel Patterson Group) "Classic grilled dogs want a refreshing Spanish or French rosé, something easy drinking, good for hanging around the barbecue, nothing too fussy. "—Dana Frank (Ava Gene's and Bow & Arrow) "For classic grilled hot dogs with ketchup and mustard, I might opt for a juicy and fruit-driven red wine, such as Zinfandel or Cinsault. Wells Guthrie at Copain is making a fantastic light red wine, called 'P2,' made from equal parts Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. It boasts juicy red berry fruit, no tannins, and a limestone backbone. For similar reasons, I'd also recommend Comte Abbatucci's Rouge Frais Impérial, made from biodynamically grown grapes in Corsica.—Jordan Salcito (Momofuku) "With grilled hot dogs and ketchup and mustard I would actually get a little crazy and tell you to drink some Alsatian Gewurztraminer. The floral aromatics, fat oily texture, and hint of sugar are outstanding with the sweetness of ketchup and the aggressiveness of mustard."

"Rosé Champagne and grilled hot dogs always works. Hot dogs are somewhat of a guilty pleasure and so is Champagne. It's like pairing a childhood memory with something really decadent. You could also get a nice sparkling rosé from Penedes in North Eastern Spain if you are on more of a hot dog budget.—Daniel Beedle (Juni) "When it comes to hot dogs (especially if outside in the backyard), I really love a grenache-based rosé like Domaine de la Fouquette from Provence or an American riff like Donkey & Goat's Isabel's Cuvée. They have sun-kissed fruit to love on the sweetness of the ketchup, and a whiff of white pepper to dance with the mustard." "Wine with a classic hot dog, I would probably go with a slightly chilled Beaujolais, something that has a bit of acid and a hallmark meatiness to it, with primary light red fruits. Chateau Thivin Cote de Brouilly 2012 is a good example." "I want wine that I'm gonna be happy drinking outside in the heat. Rose and slightly chilled, lighter bodied reds hit the spot.

I like Ligurian Rossesse a lot; it's got good acidity and freshness and tastes like cherries and the beach. I would happily chug a bottle with some spicy Italian sausage with sweet peppers and onions." "For the Italian sausage, I suggest picking out a juicy Italian red with generous fruit and just a hint of funk, something like the Librandi Ciro Rosso or Arianna Occhipinti's SP68, a blend of Frappato and Nero d'Avola from Sicily that is sweet, tart, and earthy in equal measure." "For a spicy Italian sausage with sweet/sour peppers and onions I would take one of two possible routes: off-dry German riesling or a nice robust juicy Lambrusco. Plus, Lambrusco is a great BBQ drink as it's like a wine-y alternative to beer." "Finding a rich, textured wine that's also high in acidity is important. One that I love at the moment is Koehler-Ruprecht's Pinot Blanc from the Pfalz, in Germany. The wine tastes dry but retains a slight hint of residual sugar, which will match beautifully with the sweet peppers and mellow the spice from the sausage meat."