December/January

Use our holiday wine primer to take your festive meals from cellar to stellar. This guide focuses on wine matches for holiday fare.

It's no longer written in stone that white wine goes with white meat and red with red. Today's oenophiles (wine connoisseurs) both complement and contrast wines with foods. Check out these proven matches to bring out the best in both wine and food — but don't overlook your personal tastes. Use the wine flavor notes to help find the variety that meets your preferences. (Note: Flavors will vary slightly with year and region of origin.)

What's for Dinner?	What's in the Cellar?	What Will You Taste?
Appetizers Strong cheese, such as goat cheese	Sauvignon Blanc (white)	Slightly acidic and crisp, with grassy and herbal tones
Smoked salmon	Petit Syrah (red)	Dry, robust and peppery
Rich paté	Chianti (red)	Dry, with powerful flavor
Sushi	Dry Riesling (white)	Delicate and spicy, with hints of peaches and apricots
Rich soups such as beef stew	Cabernet Sauvignon (red)	Full-bodied, fruity and rich
Entrées Grilled turkey, chicken or duck	Beaujolais (red)	Refreshingly light and fruity
Roasted duck	Merlot (red)	Mellow, with hints of black currant, cherry and mint
Roasted turkey	Dry or Sweet Sparkling Wine (white)	Light, crisp and refreshing
Heavily spiced fish	Medium-Sweet Gewürztraminer (white)	Crisp, with spicy notes of cloves and nutmeg
Heavily spiced turkey or chicken	Pinot Blanc (white)	Dry and refreshing
Game, such as quail, pheasant or squab	Chablis (white)	Crisp and slightly sweet
Shellfish, such as lobster	Chardonnay (white)	Nutty and smoky, with hints of apple, melon and pineapple
Beef or venison	Cabernet Sauvignon (red)	Full-bodied, fruity and rich
Lamb or pork	Pinot Noir (red)	Light-bodied and fruity, with hints of chocolate, game and figs
Meatless entrée	Zinfandel (red)	Hearty and robust, with berrylike spicy tones
Desserts Fruit pie or cobbler	Pinot Blanc (white)	Dry and refreshing
Pumpkin or pecan pie	Tawny Port (golden brown)	Sweet, pruny and intense
Cheesecake	Chenin Blanc (white)	Very crisp and slightly sweet
Chocolate-based desserts	Merlot (red)	Mellow with hints of black currant, cherry and mint

	For more food and wine pairs, go to www.foodandwine.com.
	From Abboccato to Zinfandel, learn to speak like a true oenophile with the interactive wine dictionary at www.epicurious.com.
	Fine-tune your taste for wine with at-home wine tastings. WineMaster is an educational wine-tasting program. Each month you'll receive two samples of wines from around the world with a newsletter that gives extensive background information on the selected wines. Learn more at www.billwadewinemaster.com.