By Kimberly Karalovich

Hmmm ... The Lord probably decided against the fish that night and instead had meat for dinner.

We all know what we like to eat. Very often, just by reading a menu or a recipe, we can pretty much figure out what a dish might taste like. If only the same were true for wine. Most of the time, the flavors in the wine are not described on the bottle or on the wine list. Despite this lack of information, selecting a wine that pairs well with dinner can be as simple as deciding on what you want to order for dinner.

One of the key things to keep in mind, when pairing food and wine, is body style. Light-bodied wines pair well with lighter food, and bigger-body wines pair well with heavier foods. The body of wine is literally the weight of the wine in your mouth. A simple way to identify the body style of a wine is to think of different styles of milk. Skim milk feels light, even thin, in your mouth; whole milk feels a little heavier; and cream feels heavy and rich, almost coating the tongue. If we think of wine in terms of milk, pinot noir is like skim milk, merlot like whole milk, and cabernet sauvignon like heavy cream. Whites are generally light- bodied; however, within the white-wine category, riesling is light, sauvignon blanc is medium and chardonnay is considered full-bodied.

With a better understanding of body styles in wine, we can easily pair the richness of food with the body style of wine. For example, riesling goes well with light, delicate-flavored foods such as shrimp, poached and steamed fish, summer salads and steamed veggies. Sauvignon blanc pairs well with most shellfish, such as steamed clams or oysters and with grilled white fish, pasta salads and such. Chardonnay, being heavier in body style, matches up with roasted or fried chicken, Cornish game hen and creamy sauces.

Pinot noir, being a lighter-bodied red wine, pairs well with lighter-flavored meats such as pork, duck or lean prime rib. It also pairs well with the richer fishes such as 'ahi or salmon. Richer meats, such as top sirloin, lend themselves to a medium-bodied merlot, while a fattier, richer rib-eye steak works nicely with a full-bodied cabernet sauvignon. Richer meat dishes with rich sauces that have been simmered for a long time work nicely with a cab, too.

When it comes to pairing food and wine, the most important consideration is knowing what you like, because taste is very subjective. If you don't like red wine, for example, it doesn't matter that cabernet sauvignon is the best choice for that grilled rib-eye; you aren't likely to enjoy it.

We spend a lifetime learning about our likes and dislikes in foods, so we all qualify as expert tasters. We don't all have comparable experience with wines. But with a little more time and practice, along with a few pointers, you are well on your way to discovering perfect pairings that will delight your taste buds again and again. Keep in mind that taste is a journey, not a destination — bon voyage!

Kimberly Karalovich is wine consultant and general manager of The Wine Stop, 1809 South King St., 946-3707. See www.thewinestophawaii.com.