An excellent start. One thing I'd mention up front is that the rule of "red with meat, white with fish" is not all that good a rule.
> Lamb is often associated with Pauillac, but is a fine match for any
> Bordeaux or Bordeaux-blend ("Meritage") wine.
Here you might include a link to the wiki article on Bordeaux and Meritage wines. These kinds of links might be appropriate elsewhere too.
> Chicken- simple roast chicken is a fine backdrop for fine mature reds
I'll have to try that! Would you suggest that for simple grilled chicken too, or does roasting give it the depth of flavor needed to stand up to a mature red?
> Turkey- pretty controversial. Advocates for Zinfandel, roses, Riesling
> Kabinetts, and more
We roast turkey on a charcoal grill, throwing in wet wood chips for a smokey flavor. It comes out wonderfully, and is a great match for Zin.
> Tuna steaks- soft Merlot or other round reds.
My favorite restaurant reccomends a Cabernet, and I've often done that successfully, but on reflection, I think you're right here - a softer wine like Merlot may well do better. I'll have to try that.
> Japanese: [...]
Don't omit rice wine with sushi!
I did find that the Loloins Zin from (I think) 1999 was very very spicey and stood up to wasabi. It went well with sushi.
> Middle Eastern: a little easier. Does well with Rhone whites or spicier
> ripe reds- Rhones, Zinfandel, etc. There are some Morrocan and Algerian
> wines available, as well as the famous Ch. Musar from Lebanon, if you
> wish to stay on theme.
I find Syrah to work very well here too, as do some Turkish reds whose names escape me.
I like that the list is arranged as
food: wines to go with
rather than the reverse, which is all too common.
Some emphasis should also be put on herbs and spices that go well (or go badly, which is just as useful!) with what wines.
http://www.telluriderestaurant.com/wines.php
is a good resource too - their "food friendly" and "food foes" list is something worth experimenting with. (i.e. suggest that a person have some foods that "go with" a wine along with some foods that "don't go with" that wine, all at the same meal, and then try the combinations and note how the wine tastes different against the friends and foes.
Jose
--
"Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain." (chapter 10 of book 3 - Harry Potter).
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