Books have been written about pairing wine and food. Arguments have been waged. Every wine expert has an opinion—and often it will clash with other authoritative views.

Despite all that, pairing food and wine doesn't have to be especially complicated. In fact, at Columbia Winery we believe it's pretty simple: If you think a certain wine and a certain food go together, well, they do. The fact is, you don't always know when pairing magic will occur, and when it does you may never fully understand why. Only a willingness to experiment will reveal all the possibilities.

So we don't want to weigh down your explorations with a bunch of rules, and we aren't going to plumb the depths of the five elements of taste (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami, if you must know) contemplate every last component of wine (acidity, tannin, RS, pH, etc.). We will, however, give you one principle to keep in mind: Try to match flavors of generally equal intensity.

Matching Flavors of Generally Equal Intensity
When you serve up a plate of spicy barbecued ribs, don't match them with a delicately flavored white. Chances are you'll miss everything interesting about the wine. By the same token, a blockbuster red will overwhelm poached salmon. So instead, match a bold, peppery wine (Syrah, perhaps?) with those ribs, and a spicy, subtle white (our Pinot Gris would work) with the fish.

By matching intensity of flavor, you'll make some interesting discoveries.

• You'll notice that how the dish is prepared, as well as the secondary ingredients, have as much to do with the wine match as anything else. Throw that salmon on the grill instead of poaching it and it wants a red wine with it, most likely.
• You'll also notice that successful matches sometimes mean emphasizing similarities – a rich Chardonnay and lobster, perhaps. Other equally worthwhile matches represent a contrast; consider how a lively Semillon can cut through the richness of a smoked salmon and pasta dish and provide an interesting counterpoint.