Bill St. John

The fresh, tangy flavors of chicken piccata will do well with wines sporting abundant acidity.

Rosé wines with abundant acidity match chicken piccata recipe

June 16, 2018 at 10:38 p.m.

In Italian cooking, the word "piccata," as in veal piccata or chicken piccata, stems from an old verb, "piccare," not much used today, meaning "to prick," as with a pike...

Grouper and salmon are bathed in a orange juice and mustard spiked marinade before taking a turn on the grill. Light-bodied wines are called for here.

Light-bodied wines best for salmon dish

June 15, 2018 at 10:16 p.m.

A lot of acidity (from orange juice and mustard) goes into the marinade for this fish dish, but not a lot sticks around in the final preparation. That's a blessing...

Red for meat, white for fish ... but what about meatless eating?

How to pair food & wine: The meat-free edition

June 15, 2018 at 10:24 p.m.

Third of four parts on the rules for pairing food and wine. The oldest wine-and-food rule is "White wine with fish; red wine with meat." But what if you eat...

In the mysterious math of wine and food pairings, often 1 + 1 = 3, that is, the two combine into something greater. That's the case with these Spanish partners: a verdejo whose measured acidity teams with the rich, salty flavor of aged manchego for a dynamite taste experience. (Lisa Schumacher/food styling.)

The ultimate marriage: Cheese and wine. Here’s how to get it right

May 31, 2019 at 6:40 p.m.

Second of four parts on the rules for pairing food and wine. Perhaps the ultimate match of food with beverage is wine and cheese. They're nearly twins. Both date to...

Gallo pinto is a Costa Rican and Nicaraguan beans-and-rice dish.

Low tannin matches flavors of rice and beans

June 15, 2018 at 10:45 p.m.

What a great, soulful dish this is. The name is Costa Rican and Nicaraguan. Cubans call it "moros y cristianos" (to be blunt, "blacks and whites," because of the mix...

A pan sauce for chicken flavored with capers and olives has a dominant flavor of salt. For a wine match, avoid the typical chardonnay-bird pairing. Instead, reach for a wine with good acidity, like sauvignon blanc.

Vital elements to matching food and wine

June 15, 2018 at 11:18 p.m.

First of four parts. The key to matching wine and food isn't merely "red wine with red meat" or in keeping both the wine and type of food from the...

Swiss chard and chicken wraps get heat from jalapeno, cayenne pepper and chipotle salsa.

Hot chilies in that dish? Choose a low alcohol wine

June 16, 2018 at 10:46 p.m.

Oh, we love our chili heat. Tabasco on the omelet; giardiniera on the dog; jalapeno on the nachos. But chili heat doesn't love wine. Alcohol is a solvent and spreads...

Mark West Pinot Noir ($10), spot-on pinot; Mt. Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc ($15), subtle, rich body, long finish; and Inama Vin Soave Soave Classico ($15), creamy, peachy, soft with just enough acidity.

Great wines for $15 and under

May 31, 2019 at 6:40 p.m.

For a St. John, I love Passover each year. I go back to my hometown of Denver and attend a couple of Seder meals at homes of Jewish friends. But...

Sauteed summer squashes alternate green and yellow on a white pizza topped with plenty of aromatic fresh sage.

White pizza? Reach for a white wine with good acidity

June 15, 2018 at 11:57 p.m.

When I was growing up, I dated someone who loved white pizza, that is, pizza made without red sauce. Whereas red wine often is a happier accompaniment to tomato-sauced pizzas,...

Vernaccia has aromas and flavors of pears and yellow apples, the famed Italian white wine end-note of bitter almond, finely etched acidity and, often enough, a slightly tannic or chalky finish. The wine is most appreciated as vernaccia di San Gimignano, the many-towered Tuscan town, visible in the background here.

3 Italian white wines to ask for: verdicchio, vernaccia and vermentino

May 31, 2019 at 6:39 p.m.

Verily, verdicchio, vernaccia and vermentino are the "veni, vidi, vici" of Italian white wine grapes, the Italian Vs of wine. (I could add the grapes verduzzo, verdiso and vespaiolo, but...

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