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Pairing Principles - Wines to Serve With Vegetables

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Importer Terry Theise has a simple rule for pairing wines with foods: the wine should serve the food. He offers these ideas for choosing wines to go with vegetables.

* Select wines with mineral flavors. They naturally complement vegetables, which, after all, grow in soil. Grüner Veltliner is probably the best example.

* Avoid wines with too much oak, such as heavy Chardonnays. Vegetables hate the foreign, obtrusive taste.

* Match flavors. Sweetish wines, such as German Riesling Spätleses, go well with carrots, squash and pumpkins. Dry, snappy whites--Sancerres, for instance--can stand up to zucchini, green beans and asparagus. Low-acid red wines, like light Pinot Noirs, taste great with tomatoes.