To paraphrase St. Paul, in wine there are acid, sweet, tannin, and alcohol, but the greatest of these is acid. Acidity — that tangy, zesty close to a sip of wine, that which sweeps the palate clean — is crucially important to delicious, successful wine and food pairings. It balances wine against any correlative acidity in the food prepared, as here, with its cider vinegar. The two acidities, interestingly, cancel each other out and a taste of both together is refreshing and cleansing, not tart or sour.   HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:• 1 bag (16 ounces) pre-shredded cabbage and carrots• 1/2 red onion, thinly [...]

When the California Turkey Board (no jokes, please) asked several United States wineries what wine went best with traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner, the suggestions went on and on. Pinot noir, said one winery; it's rich and full like the meal itself. Chardonnay, said another; it matches the dinner's complexity. The final tote stood at nine different wines: four whites, two dry pinks, three reds — and one turkey. Perhaps the best choice is not one wine but many. Why not try an assortment of wines for your upcoming Thanksgiving Day dinner? And the same holds for drinking with the leftovers [...]

The only element in this recipe worth any wine worry is fat, in the olive oil and whatever fat there is in the ground turkey. Fat carries flavor, but italso can be a barrier to other flavors getting through. A little tannin in a red wine would help mollify that. Keep in mind that the red wine world isn't all about heft and high alcohol. Buy the more humble and unassuming reds from the places where folk appreciate good food, such as Grenache from the Rhône; or Pinots from Burgundy, Oregon or New Zealand; or Sangiovese from Italy. And that's [...]

Nothing in this preparation puts up any blockades to wine enjoyment; noacidic vinaigrette, for example, to "sour" up a wine, or too much salt or sugar to war with whatever wine. A niche red such as a high-octane California Zinfandel wouldn’t do, nor would anything at the other end of the shelf, either, a watered-down Pinot Grigio, for instance. What would be nicewould be an array of fragrant wines, their perfumes as potent out of the glass as this recipe’s curry and peppers. Just be sure that they also sport good, cleansing acidity.   HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:• 1 1/2 cups small-form [...]

Charr is particularly suitable for a "papillote" preparation, a little piscinepackage of parchment paper roasted a few minutes, then opened at eachplate for both heady steam and tasty treat. Even more tasties come by way of a wine selection that is close to being all-encompassing: a dry crisp white; a sparkling pink; and a medium-bodied, lean red. Charr is the kind of fish — rich, succulent, unctuous, flavors on all fours — that appeals to nearly any kind of wine, as long as that wine has a good backbone of acidity and freshness. These three do.   HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:• 1 large [...]

To paraphrase St. Paul, in wine there are acid, sweet, tannin, and alcohol,but the greatest of these is acid. Acidity — that tangy, zesty close to a sip of wine, that which sweeps the palate clean — is crucially important to delicious, successful wine and food pairings. It balances wine against any correlative acidity in the food prepared, as here, with its cider vinegar. The two acidities, interestingly, cancel each other out and a taste of both together is refreshing and cleansing, not tart or sour.  HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:• 1 bag (16 ounces) pre-shredded cabbage and carrots• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced• 1/2 [...]

Let’s pretend, to "noodle" the recipe a bit (ba-dum-tsssshhh), that this is afull-on Mediterranean preparation, for wines from that region would well accompany it. By and large, the reds of Italy, Portugal, and southern France sport a bit more acidity and more cleansing tannins than their New World offspring, perfect for taming the oils from the citrus and the olive oil, as well as the fats from the meat and dairy in this recipe. Plus, with all their vowels, they sound nice with the words "zucchini" and "fettucine."   HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:• 4 lamb burger patties• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil• 2 cloves garlic, [...]

Bacon makes everything with which it’s eaten, from eggs to ice cream, just taste better. One reason is its salt, of course, but another is its high glutamate content, a pronounced factor in any cured meat. Pair bacon with another food, such as salmon, also high in glutamate, and the savory quotient ratchets up —and then up again. All that juicy deliciousness suggests certain wines over others, those also multilayered in taste and savor. No monotonic fruit bombs here, but a crisp zesty white and two reds all with nuance, built-up flavors, and long, beckoning aftertastes. Perhaps most crucial, however, [...]