Valentine’s Day, one of the biggest wine holidays of the year, is just around the corner—and with it comes our annual test to see if we can help choose the right wine for that special someone, or to pair with that box of chocolates! Choosing wines does not have to be so difficult, although there is a bit more to it than “drinking what you like.” Drinking what you like is wonderful in that it saves many of us from thinking too hard about it, and in the end, you may as well enjoy the wine regardless of whether or not it is the “perfect” complement for that dish. White wine with fish, red wine with meat seems like an easy way to navigate the literally thousands of wine choices you find at our locations, really enough to scare anyone into either running for the door or, better still, asking for some advice. We have very talented Wine Consultants in many stores and spend a great deal of time tasting and training not only them, but our entire staff. A good recommendation from one of them is usually good as gold.

And fortunately, the white wine with fish, red wine with meat theory typically holds true. Not because it is easy to remember, but simply because it takes into consideration the flavors, fat and weight of the fish (on the lighter side for white fish, a bit richer for tuna, salmon and swordfish) as well as these characteristics in meat. The fattier or more marbled the cut, the more tannins in the red wine will be needed to cut through that fat (think Pinot Noir on the lighter side, think Cabernet/Bordeaux for the juiciest steaks) so even if you thought you knew nothing about pairing food and wine together, it is really easier than you think! Of course, the more you know, the more there is to know…so you could spend a great deal of time (and money) on the perfect wine, and find out nobody else at the table gets it, or cares that much in the first place!

So arm yourself with a few basic guidelines and find what you like in that style—and you will be fine! As for wine with strawberries, or chocolate...Champagne!

Shayne Hebert, Central Florida Wine Supervisor. Follow me on Twitter @abcwineshayne.