BBQ Chicken: Spicy Zinfandel or an off-dry Riesling will complement all the flavors in the sauce. Grilled Chicken: A crisp Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc is the way to go. Grilled Steaks: Cabernet is a classic match. A full-bodied red blend is a great choice too. Portabella Mushroom Burgers: Juicy Syrah will show off this veggie favorite. Grilled Salmon or Tuna: Pair these rich fish with a Pinot Noir. BBQ Pork Ribs: Rich Syrah or fruity Zinfandel will stand up to the meaty goodness. Bacon Cheese Burgers: Zinfandel or a rich Merlot will make this favorite a standout. Grilled Lobsters: Buttery Chardonnay adds to the lusciousness.There are many fish in the sea, lakes and rivers. See perfect wine and fish pairings in this handy chart. Wine With Mexican Food: It's fun to start the meal with chips and salsa and Champagne or Sparkling Wine. Our go-to red for pairing with Mexican food is Pinot Noir or a lighter red blend. If you prefer a heavier red, or are enjoying a beef dish, try a Tempranillo.

Verde sauces and chicken or fish dishes work well with Sauvignon Blanc or a bone-dry Rosé If the meal is very spicy, go with a sweeter wine like a Riesling, Gewürztraminer or Rosé. Peanuts, Pretzels & regular Potato Chips:A crisp, light white wine like an un-oaked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio will match up well to the salt. BBQ Potato Chips:A red Zinfandel makes a lively combination! Tortilla chips with salsa:Skip the beer or margarita and instead reach for a tart Reisling, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc! Red grapes:A delicious twist with Viognier. Popcorn:Enjoy a bowlful with a lightly oaked Chardonnay or Champagne. French Fries:Nearly anything goes! The subtle flavor of the potato does well with Merlot and Pinot Noir, and the salt and oil match nicely to light and crisp white wines like Pinot Grigio. Apples and Cheese:Easy to find a favorite if you remember this: hard, flavorful cheeses need a darker, heavier wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon and lighter cheeses need a nice light white like Pinot Grigio, Riesling.

Apples like a Fuji or Delicious are well, just delicious! Hummus:A healthy snack deserving of a light red, like Pinot or Sangiovese. Twinkies:Sweet foods need sweet wines, try a German Reisling or Muscat. Ice cream:Try a late-harvest wine, or fruit infused dessert wine... pour right over the top! Cookies:Chocolate Chip cookies need a Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon, Oatmeal and Raisin cookies are yummy with either a Pinot Noir or Viognier. Gingersnaps are great fun with a peppery Zinfandel. Carrots and Celery with Ranch dip:Enjoy the crunch and tang alongside a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. Beef Hamburgers:Try any of these: Syrah, Cabernet, Zinfandel or Cabernet Franc. The juices from a burger will cut through the tannins of a bigger red wine. Pepperoni Pizza:Tangy pizza sauce and spicy Pepperoni go great with Zinfandel. The finer, the better! Dark chocolate:Buy the most luxurious dark chocolate that you can find, and pair it with a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Malbec.

So reach for a glass of wine with your favorite snack and reap the rewards of wine's health benefits, plus create a taste sensation.Dungeness crab season is here! We asked wine expert Jordan Mackay for his recommendations on the best wines to pair with this holiday entertaining staple. Read his tips below, then visit Williams-Sonoma Wine to find the perfect bottle. For the last many years, I’ve been fortunate enough to be invited to an incredible annual lunch in  San Francisco. best wine making kitsTo celebrate Dungeness crab season, which begins in mid-November, a group of local sommeliers get together at Alioto’s, a seafood institution in Fisherman’s Wharf. best wine when on a dietWhat follows is a slurpy feast of crab consumption. top 10 grocery store red wines

Crab soups, cakes, salads and chowders fill the table and, of course, platter after platter of sweet cracked crab just pulled out of the sea. And every year the same debate rages — which wine goes best with crab? Usually, the groups falls into one of two camps: German Riesling versus white Burgundy (or crisp Burgundian-style American Chardonnay, as is made exceptionally by Brian Talley of Talley Vineyards, who typically hosts the lunch). I’ve been a firm proponent of the Riesling club, believing that the purity, acidity, gentle citrus and refreshing zing of a great Mosel Riesling like the 2009 Axel Pauly Riesling Feinherb is a perfect complement to minerally, rich crab meat. best budget red wine 2014In fact, I couldn’t even believe that others argued for Chardonnay, which seems too round, rich, and creamy for crab.wine by the wooden case

Then we discovered that I tend to eat crab unadorned, while most of my fellow lunchers dipped the tender meat in copious amounts of melted butter. In that case, an edgy white from Burgundy or California fits the bill perfectly. The lemony bite and creamy minerality of a wine like the 2009 Jean-Baptiste Ponsot Rully is perfect for a crab leg dripping in butter — or even mayonnaise or aioli. However, many wines can go with crab. Here are the basic rules: The wine should be white, not too oaky, fairly crisp with acidity and minerality. best red wines spainSave richer, more buttery, oakier whites for lobster. Champagne, such as the Coquilette Les Clés Chouilly Champagne, or another sparkler like the Louis Drescher Amor Cava from Spain is a cinch for crab, especially if you’re having a creamy crab bisque or crispy crab cakes. One note: I tend to avoid herbal whites like Grüner Veltliner or Sauvignon Blanc unless I’m having a crab salad or Crab Louie, since the veggies help mediate the wine’s herbaceousness with the crab’s sweetness.