Customers often ask us to recommend a wine they should serve with a specific food. Some people mistakenly believe that they will ruin an entire meal if they make the "wrong" wine choice. Regardless of what the "wine experts" say, it's impossible to ruin a good meal if you select a wine that you enjoy. Always follow your own tastes and don't be afraid to experiment. If you want to talk "rules" of wine and food pairing, the oldest one in the book is red wine with red meat, white wine with fish or fowl. However, rules are meant to be broken. We've really enjoyed some creative combinations, like our Marechal Foch, which is a light red wine, or even Deer Garden Blush with salmon. We've also had some of our most memorable Thanksgiving Turkeys with Cranberry Wine or even Honeywine. With this in mind, there are some general guidelines you may find helpful when selecting a wine to enhance your meal. 1. Using the salmon example above, the Marechal Foch works beautifully with the fish because you are matching light to light.

Otherwise a full-bodied, heavier wine will overpower a light, delicate dish, and similarly, a lighter style wine will not have enough intensity to balance a hearty roast. 2. For example, chicken with a lemon butter sauce will call for a different more delicate wine to play off the sauce than chicken cacciatore with all of the tomato and Italian spices, or a grilled chicken breast. 3. When you drink wine by itself it tastes one way, but after you take a bite of food, the wine often tastes different. This is because wine is like a spice. Elements in the wine interact with the food to provide a different taste sensation like these basic reactions: Sweet Foods like Italian tomato sauce, Japanese teriyaki, and honey-mustard glazes make your wine seem drier than it really is so try an off-dry (slightly sweet) wine to balance the flavor (Riesling, Stinger Honeywine, and Raspberry Wine). High Acid Foods like salads with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, soy sauce, or fish served with a squeeze of lemon will make low acid wines seem flat.

Pair these foods with wines that are higher in acid (Chardonnay, Rhubarb, and Cranberry Wine). Bitter and Astringent Foods like a mixed green salad of bitter greens, Greek kalamata olives and charbroiled meats accentuate a wine's bitterness so complement it with a full-flavored forward fruity wine (Deer Garden White, Marechal Foch). Big tannic red wines (like Merlot or Syrah) will go best with your classic grilled steak or lamb chops, as the fat in the meat will tone down the tannin in the wine.Chef Philippe Boulot's recipe shows off a great wild king salmon from the Oregon Coast and which we think makes for a perfect match with a glass of our Napa Valley Chardonnay. Chef Boulot is a longtime friend and executive chef of the Heathman Hotel and the MAC Athletic Club in Portland along with being an alumni of our annual American Harvest Workshop program. 8 ea 7 oz. salmon fillet 1/c. fresh bread crumbs 2 ea. garlic cloves 1/4 c. olive oil 1 T. parsley chopped 3 red onions diced

1/2 c. lemon juice 1 tsp. fresh ginger 2 tsp. chili paste 2 T. soy sauce Combine all of the items in first section in a food processor except for the salmon. Slowly add the olive oil to incorporate. Sweat red onions in olive oil. Add ginger & garlic and cook briefly. Deglaze the pan with lemon juice. Cook until most of the moisture has evaporated. Add remaining ingredients, adjust the seasoning, and pour immediately onto a sheet tray. good wine to drink everydayReserve until ready to serve.best wine by itself Season salmon with salt & pepper and press a 1/8-inch layer of pesto onto the salmon. best white wine for christmas lunchSear the fish, crust side down, in a Teflon pan. fonts for wine bottles

Turn over and finish in a hot oven. (300 degrees for about 10 minutes.) Lightly sauté some spinach and place in the middle of each plate. Place the cooked salmon on top of the spinach. Garnish with red onion relish. Bracing European white wines for crisp salmon cakes A lemon wedge is the ubiquitous companion to a serving of fish, whether pan-seared or coated and fried. That spritz of acid the citrus provides also can come from wine, as it does with these three from Italy, France and Spain. wine under 6 dollarsAll promise to balance the rich salmon cakes for a simple and satisfying dinner.sweet red wine served at olive garden Salmon cakesMix together 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill, 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, finely grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Add 1 3/4 pounds cooked salmon, skin, bones and gray strip of flesh discarded. Pat into 8 cakes, each about 1 inch thick. Roll cakes in 1 1/4 cups fresh breadcrumbs. Heat a thin film of oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Cook salmon cakes in batches until crisp outside and hot inside, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Recipe by Leah EskinDRINK THISPairings by sommelier Rachael Lowe of Spiaggia, as told to Michael Austin:2015 Nino Negri Ca' Brione Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio, Valtellina, Italy: From a mainly red wine-producing region, this white is a blend of slightly dried chardonnay and sauvignon blanc grapes combined with incrocio manzoni and a touch of white nebbiolo. Aged for about eight months in French oak, this wine has a balance of acidity and texture. With notes of mango, papaya, vanilla and a hint of almond, it will balance the salmon's richness perfectly. 2015 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre, Loire Valley, France: Made of 100 percent sauvignon blanc, this wine is a classic representation of its region.

Stainless steel-aged, it provides a true taste of the grape. Green apple, freshly cut grass, wet stone, lime blossom and a hint of pepper will complement the dish's vegetal notes, while its bracing acidity will cut through the breading and fish. Also, the wine's grass aromas will align with the dill.2006 Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Crianza Blanco, Rioja, Spain: Consisting of 100 percent viura grapes, this wine was aged for four years in the barrel and further in the bottle. Waxy notes of bruised golden apple, macerated lemon skins, marzipan, honey and lanolin accompany a viscous texture. That texture will complement the fatty salmon and the mayonnaise, while the wine's acidity will balance the lemon. Plus, notes from oak aging will intermingle beautifully with the dill. © 2017, Chicago Tribune A version of this article appeared in print on April 05, 2017, in the Food & Dining section of the Chicago Tribune with the headline "Acidic spritz balances rich salmon cakes - how to pair wine" —