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Ironically, on a scale from driest to sweetest, sparking wine or champagne is labeled as follows:

Natural (Brut Nature)- Driest

Brut

Extra Dry

Dry (Sec)

Semi-Dry (Demi-Sec)

Sweet (Doux)

Wine and Food Pairings- Traditional wisdom on pairing wine with food dictates that white wine pairs well with white meats and red wine with red meats. In recent years, more creative sommeliers (the person in charge of wines at a restaurant) have shown that this rule is not always necessary or even correct. The sauce and the preparation of the food are most important to wine pairing, and many different wines may work well with a certain dish. In general though, the best rule of thumb is to try and match more delicate flavors with lighter wine like Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc, hearty cream flavors with medium bodied wines like Chardonnay and Merlot, and thicker meaty or spicy flavors with fuller wines like Syrah.

 When reading through these suggestions of wine and food pairings, keep in mind that there are no set rules.

Zinfandel- roast beefs

Syrah- beef stews, barbecue

Cabernet Sauvignon- steak

CheeseRiesling- most cheeses

Sauvignon Blanc- earthier cheeses

Chocolate

Cabernet Sauvignon- dark chocolate

Dessert

Muscat/Moscato- sweeter desserts

Riesling- most desserts

Fish and Seafood

Pinot Grigio

Sauvignon Blanc

Chardonnay- Richer seafood dishes and most shellfish

Lamb

Cabernet Sauvignon- roast lamb

Syrah- stews

Pinot Noir- chops

Pasta

Sangiovese- great for most pasta dishes

Barberra- especially good with lasagna

Pizza

Barberra- most tomato sauces

Syrah- spiced meats and sausages on pizza

Poultry

Chardonnay- grilled chicken and cream sauce chickens

Pinot Grigio- turkey

Merlot- grilled chicken, barbecue

Syrah- Duck or other fowl

Pork

Merlot- chops

Pinot Noir- tenderloin, sausage

Zinfandel- roast pork and garlicky dishes

Salads/Vegetables

Sauvignon Blanc

White Zinfandel

Pinot Grigio- for salads and vegetables with creamy sauces or dressings

Taste regularly

Use every glass of wine you have as a reason to practice your skills. How does it smell? What notes can you identify? What is its color? How does it taste? Really think about it. Don't just drink it, taste it.

Taste with friends

Why not make wine tasting a social event. Wine should be enjoyed in company and this is a great way to both develop your hobby and mix with friends. If you can find people share your enthusiasm for grape juice all the better. Meeting regularly or semi-regularly is a good enough reason to club together and enjoy some fine bottles.

Becoming an expert on wine means more than just learning the names of grape varieties and bottle labels. Wine is all about flavour. Enjoying and appreciating wine involves harnessing our senses. Wine is about taste and smell and stimulating our pleasure centres. Just as with any area we want to be become expert in, we have to develop our critical faculty and discipline our senses. Here are four tips that will lead you to greater knowledge of all things grape.

Train your nose

Use your sense of smell as much as possible in a deliberate way. Practise with different kinds of fruits. You will be training your sense to be more discriminating. Like a muscle it will get stronger with exercise.

Keep a log

When tasting wines why not make a note of your impressions about it? This will help your memory of it as well as help you identify your likes and dislikes and preferences. Writing down your thoughts and feelings about the wine gives you a reference for the future and allows you to chart your progress.