Pretty in pink.

Pinot gris

Match Game Revisited -- Although most of us know by now that the most successful pairings of wine and food come from simply drinking the beverages we like with the foods we like, there is actually a synergy between these two partners in culinary crime. Hard and fast rules

The combination of flavors, textures, and aromas all contribute to the "party in your mouth" sensation that comes from a compatible wine and food pairing. Trying to describe these attributes, however; can prove difficult for even the most knowledgeable of chefs. Various sensory perceptions -- sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory -- are evoked by food and wine. Flavor involves sensations of taste, smell, and touch, also known as texture. To add to the complexity of this subject matter, our perceptions of taste and flavor can often be influenced by both emotional and physical associations; as a result, flavor is highly subjective. The pleasure of drinking and pairing light to medium-bodied white wines, such as Pinot Gris, with a variety of foods, however, is indisputable: Pinot Gris is one of the most agreeable and eager-to-please wines known to man and woman enolphiles alike; it is food-friendly, easy to drink, and for the most part, inexpensive. VITIS VINI VINO: More commonly known as Italian Pinot Grigio, the French wine variety, Pinot Gris, produces delicate, fruity and full wines with lower alcohol and acidic content. Pinot Gris is revered for its consistent quality across the board; it emits tastes and smells of smoke honey, and nuts and spices, as well as a myriad of fruits (depending on where the grapes are grown). The skin of the Pinot Gris grape can be unusually dark, exhibiting deep colors ranging within the grayish-blue to brownish-rose spectrum. This coloring, in turn, produces wines that range from white to light-tinged pinks.

At one time, the Pinot Gris grape grew abundantly among the Pinot Noir grapes of Burgundian vineyards and was prized for its ability to add softness to one of Burgundy's sweeter reds. To this day, pocket-.sized areas of Pinot Gris grapes are cultivated in the Loire where they produce fragrant wines that offer a full spectrum of sweetness levels. The region's cool climate provides optimum conditions for producing lighter-bodied whites. The eastern region of France, known as Alsace, produces Pinot Gris, renowned for its ability to bridge wine and food via interactions between their flavors, body, intensity, or basic taste profiles.

To understand the significance of bridging and its relation to wine pairing, consider the taste of a piece of fresh water fish that has been marinated in lime juice, green peppercorns, tarragon and shallots before being sauteed. In this case, the lime juice would be the bridge ingredient. A tart and crisp Pinot Gris would pair well with the finished dish because of the wine's acidic quality, similar to that of the lime juice. If that same marinated and sauteed piece of fish were finished with a beurre blanc or cream sauce, the butter or cream would be the bridge ingredient. These sauces better complement a buttery Chardonnay because of their textural similarities.

Although Pinot Gris enhances foods with fresh and acidic flavors, don't count it out as a willing partner to pastas and gently poached sole or salmon. Pinot Gris is one wine that makes fast friends with the simplest of foods. Its versatility, paired with agreeable growing conditions in the United States, has evoked the passionate interest of American growers. In California alone, plantings of Gris (as well as Grigios) have increased significantly within the past six years with smaller wineries leading the production pack. Oregon has also become a strong player in the Gris field, producing wines that have rivaled the cost of Chardonnay. Large U.S. producers have jumped on the Gris and Grigio bandwagon as well, producing thousands of cases of Pinot Gris domestically while importing additional large quantities of Italian Pinot Grigio for distribution.