What to drink with tomatoes

Technically a fruit, but usually prepared as a vegetable, tomatoes are notoriously tricky to pair with beverages.

From the bite-sized cherry tomato to the huge Beefsteak, tomatoes offer a variety of tastes and textures. On top of that, the seed-filled red orbs - the fruits of the herbaceous tomato vine - are highly acidic and tart.

"Fresh tomatoes are a staple of lazy summer lunches, but they prove a difficult companion to many beverages," says Gourmet magazine food editor and stylist Maggie Ruggiero.

While limited for drinks, tomatoes offer endless possibilities for summer entertaining, from the juicy tomato served with slabs of fresh mozzarella and basil to a tomato tartlet to homemade salsa.

"The rub with tomatoes is you have to be mindful of the acid," says David Snyder, an instructor at the Wine School of Philadelphia.

For wine, the impulse is to go red for a marinara sauce. If so, go for a lower acid wine such as zinfandel, he says. And unless you cook the sauce for at least five hours to reduce the acid, stay away from the Chianti or Sangiovese.

"People serve the Chianti so they don't look stupid. But from a food chemistry perspective, it doesn't work and it's a myth that's been pounded into our heads," says Snyder.

For uncooked tomatoes, try a soft Chardonnay or a Riesling, he says.

Ruggiero favors a simple beverage solution that involves fresh herbs, berries or fruit.

"My friend, Anne, is known for serving cold pitchers of water with a few sprigs of whatever strikes her fancy while in her garden - various herbs (like lovage, mint or basil) and perhaps a couple berries or slices of fruit."

Ruggiero says her friend refers to these creative infusions served in glass pitchers as "lunch water".

"They are as beautiful as they are simple," says Ruggiero. "Tasting fresh, herbaceous and clean, the tomatoes' best friend."

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