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The last pairing of food and wine may be a little over the top, and the other two may be a little boring. There is a happy medium, and we will discuss what lies between the two extremes.

By creating a good blend of wine and food we excite and please our senses of smell, taste and touch, and three out of five "ain’t" bad. Yes, blend as opposed to pair; when the wine and food hit the taste buds they intermingle, they do not stand side by side as equals.

What are we looking for in the wine to blend it with the food? How the wine’s characteristics will blend with the flavors of the food. It is common knowledge, red food – a steak - with red wine, white food – filet of sole - with white wine and sweets-dessert-with sweet wine. However, there are times when opposites attract. Therefore, let us look at the different wines and understand how they blend with particular foods.

First and foremost you are drinking the wine and you must enjoy the wine. It is irrelevant what a wine Guru’s negative remark is for your matching of a particular food and wine, you like it, and you drink it. You enjoy the wine, and forget the Guru’ remarks. However there are some common guidelines for most of us that shall improve the pleasures of the wine.

A good match, blending, improves the flavors of both the food and the wine. A poor pairing, blending may distort, destroy the flavors. Wines that are full-bodied and hearty may dominate foods that are delicate. The foods that are robust may dominate the wines that are delicate. Sweet white wine and seafood are going to clash, and that tangy, tart red is going to clash with delicate veal. To end a meal on a sweet note, pair sweet Prosseco with an Italian rum cake. Naples  clam dish with spaghetti and herbs pairs well with Lacryma Cristy white wine. The vines are fed with the ashes from the low lands of Mount Vesuvius. The ash flavors in the wine and the herbs with the clams’ sparkle. Bologna’s popular lasagna dish burst with flavors when matched with Veneto’s Amarone della Valpolicella red wine. Veneto’s roaming hills that are a short ride from Lake Garda produce this great wine. Keep in mind, for red pasta, there is always a good bottle of Chianti. Dip a veal chop into flavored extra virgin olive oil and then the place the chop on a hot grill and cook it medium state. A great balance of wine and food with the cooked veal chop is the medium bodied red Bardolino. There is a Bardolino rose that is a little lighter than the red wine and for some it is a better choice.

Matching adverse characteristics may be a little tricky. The contrast in flavors, play on each other, and they refine the flavors and create new flavors. A dish with sweetness in it matches well with a wine that is pungent, a bit bitter. The tart wine calms the sugar, dries out the syrupy glaze, and emphasizes the food flavors. The sweetness in the food mellows the wine. A hot spicy dish has a similar effect with a wine that has bit of sweetness to it. Cook a duck that is infused with a cherry sauce. Pair the sweetened duck with an intense Brunello. The duck dry Brunello that has a bouquet of dry fruit have contrasting notes that work. The food and wine will play off each other to create pleasant flavors. A wine that is bold and a bit sweet calms the hot and spicy Lobster Fra Diavolo dish. Apulia’s bold Primitivo di Manduria red wine has sweet tones. The sweet tones in the bold wine break up the "Diavolo’s" harshness.

Generally we cook the food and find a wine that will complement the food. It is quite all right to choose a food to complement the wine. Should you desire a nice bottle of silky robust Barolo and you are cooking a fish with wine and lemon. Abort the Barolo and uncork Verdicchio from the marshes. The vines grow along the hills that rise from the Adriatic, and are fed by the mists of the Adriatic Sea. The Verdicchio will have a tender, passionate blend with the fish. A desire for Barolo from the vines in the mountains of Piemonti requires a pot roast or even better game with a hearty touch. The flavors will tumble around in frenzy and excite the palate.

The food of Italy has local flavors, and they match well with wine from the same locale. Therefore, it is customary to cook the food from a region and pair it with a wine from the same region. Yet, a region that produces a lot of food, at times, may enjoy pairing its food with wine from an area that produces a lot of wine. Furthermore, The wine producers go to the food producers to pair their wine. The region of Emilia-Romagna is Italy’s food basket, and it has fine wines. However, the wines from other regions pair equally well with Emilia-Rogmagna’s food. Strong wine regions look to Emilia-Romagna’s foods to match with their wines. Cotochino sausage and lentils is a prized dish in Emilia-Romagna, and is often paired with their own red dry and fizzy Lambrusco. This hearty dish pair's well with Lombardy’s rich red and mellow Terra di Franciacorta. Once dishes out, the sausage and lentils are topped with a bit of the wine. The Sicilian cake, Cassata, matches perfectly with Moscato di Noto. Cassata is a layer cake with a ricotta and candied fruit filling and a ricotta frosting. Moscato di Noto is an aromatic, sweet, sparkling wine. A nice touch is a side of zabaione. This is a great match for a sweet ending.