It also tries to give you a few ideas of particular wines matched with a selection of dishes to get you on the right track. This specific article concentrates on white wines and the flavours that go well with them.

As a rule, white wines are best with fish, pasta, rice dishes and white meats, but this can be changed depending on the flavour of the wine. Many white wines, especially Chardonnays, have a strong oaky taste which enables them to work with some red meats as well as highly flavoured pork and chicken dishes. In fact, in the case of some white wines, they are actually too strong to work with lighter, less spiced food.

Chablis, a French light dry white wine, is great with fish dishes and courses like chicken salads and meat in white wine sauce. It is a fantastic wine, and it would be spoiled if it was eaten with hot, spicy food, as you would not be able to taste the wine.

If you like hot, spicy, and generally highly flavoured foods, go for a Chardonnay, which has a strong flavour. This will work well with these foods, although traditionally white wines are not very compatible with spicy fayre. The oakiness of the Chardonnay works well with it.

For picnics, depending on the location and the type of picnic, a white wine is generally ideal. A Sauvignon Blanc, or white wine such as a Pinot Grigio go well with bread and cheese, salads, and cold meats. Just try and find a stream nearby to keep your bottle cold though, because these wines are much more drinkable when chilled.

For seafood, a Vino Verde from Portugal goes amazingly well. This wine is a young wine, and is therefore a little fizzy, but is very light in flavour and in taste. It is excellent with all fish dishes, but again needs to be drunk very cold to enjoy it at its best. As an alternative, a Pinot Grigio works well too, and is great served with grilled salmon.

The best thing about mixing food with wine, though, is the fact that it is open to interpretation, and to what you think tastes right. On the whole, white wines taste better with lighter, less spicy foods. But don’t feel limited by any rules. Enjoy your food and wine, and experiment with the flavours.