Get to know your Wine!

Earlier today on the B&C Show we had Brenda Audino, who's a wine expert for Twin Liquors here in Austin, with some pretty cool wine "pairing" ideas for the holidays if you're throwing a party. Here's some of the ideas Brenda has for your next house party;

There many books about the art of pairing wine with food, but I think it all comes down to eat and drink what you enjoy. Throw those rules out of the window! If you like white wine and are having a hamburger – fine! If you like red wine and are having fish – great! The wine police will not knock on your door warning you of these seemly ill-conceived wine and food matches.
There are some helpful hints in making even these food and wine pairings seem like a perfect match
Main Points
Balance
When pairing your wine with your food the most important element is the balance. You want the food and wine to complement each other and not compete. Rich heavyweight foods such as game or roast meats need a full-bodied wine regardless of color. Lighter foods such as fish or plain chicken are best complemented with a more delicate wine again regardless of color.
Flavor Intensity
Foods can range in flavor intensity and so can wine. A delicate wine can easily be overpowered by a strong flavored dish. Considering how a dish is cooked can influence the intensity of flavors. Take the chicken as an example. Chicken steamed with only minimal spices is very low on the flavor intensity and on the weight scale. A lighter more delicate wine would be a better match than a full-bodied one. Now imagine your chicken has been roasted in the oven. The flavor intensity increases as well as the weight. We could now match our chicken with a wine that has more flavor and weight as well. Finally we will braise or stew our chicken in a rich wine sauce. This dish will be high in flavor intensity as well as weight. This dish would pair nicely with a full-bodied wine. Notice still no mention of color…..
Helpful Hints
Pair Foods High in Acid with Crisp Fruity Wines
Dishes that are high in acidity will make your wine taste softer. You will want a wine also has high acidity or it may taste soft and flabby. Wines with good acidity can be great with rich, oily foods as well
Foods: Tomatoes, Vinaigrette, Lemon, Lime, Oily fish
White Wines: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Un-oaked Chardonnay, Sparkling Wines
Red Wines: Rosé, Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Barbera

Pair Foods High in Fat with More Tannic Wines
Tannins in red wine create that drying sensation you often feel in your mouth. This is due to the tannins clearing away the protein molecules in your mouth. Foods with high protein content will soften the effects of these tannins in wine.
Foods: Roasted, grilled meats and poultry. Soups, stews and casseroles.
White Wine: Full-body Chardonnay, Viognier, Gewurztraminer
Red Wines: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Nebbiolo
Pair Hot & Spicy Foods with Fruity Wines
Hot and spicy foods reduce the sweetness in wines and can make a dry wine seem bitter. Spices can also accentuate the flavors of oak in wine. Hot spices seem to get even hotter with a wine high in tannins.
Foods: Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Spicy Barbeque
White Wines: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Un-oaked Chardonnay, White Zinfandel
Red Wines: Rosé, Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Zinfandel, Merlot, Dolcetto, Shiraz/Syrah
Pair Sweet Foods with Sweet Wines
Sweet foods can make a dry wine seem tart. It’s best to match your dessert with a wine that is as sweet if not sweeter than the dessert.
Foods: Chocolate, Creamy desserts (crème brulee, cheesecake), Fruit desserts, Cakes and cookies.
Wines: Port, Madeira, Muscat, Late Harvest Riesling, Vin Santo, Sauternes, Tokaji, Ice Wine