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Good wine: Finding the perfect wine and food pairings a delicious pursuit

Even wine geeks of the highest rank will tell you: beyond the grape, soil, climate and myriad intricacies of wine growing culture, one factor has attracted mankind to the fruit of the vine for millennia, and that is pleasure.

To heighten your pleasures on Valentine's Day or any day, try the tips below for pairing wine with its most natural mate — food.

Bubbles and butter: In the 1600s, when legendary French monk Dom Pérignon refined sparkling wine production and proclaimed “I am drinking stars!”, Champagne and other bubblies became the symbol of luxury, sensuality and romance. In fact, sparkling wine's bubbles inject alcohol into the bloodstream faster than still wine, lowering inhibition and raising the social interaction factor to High.

Sparkling wines also perk up the palate, as bubbles lift food flavors to dance across the mouth.

Classic accompaniments to sparkling wine include seafood — smoked salmon, sushi … — but who wants a fishy kisser? Instead, pair these scrubbing bubbles with the luxurious goo of creamy cheese and buttery dishes.

Baked brie is an easy and impressive appetizer. Baking brings out sweeter cheese flavors, so serve baked brie with a not-bone-dry bubbly such as Prosecco. This palate's favorite Prosecco is Carpene Malvoti, about $17, but examples of Italy's fabulous fizz abound. Check with your retailer.

For a French cheese and wine theme, choose St. Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux, with ripe pear, ginger and lemon zest flavors, about $15.

A cautionary note: At some point, the carbon dioxide that enters the body in 1,000s of bubbles, exits the body. If possible, time this exit in private.

The nose knows: When it comes to social interaction — be it aggression, protection or attraction — studies suggest that chemical messengers called pheromones trigger those and other responses.

Since Roman times, one food synonymous with lustful pheromones is the mushroom-like truffle. Whether due to aphrodisiac success or to scarcity, truffles are the most valuable foodstuff on earth, selling for as much as $3,600 per pound.

You can save your budget with truffle oil — about $10 per 8-ounces for black truffle oil, twice the cost for white truffle oil, available at specialty grocers and gourmet shops.

Heat adulterates truffle aromas, so add the oil, drop-by-drop to taste, to mashed or fried potatoes, pasta, soups and other dishes after cooking.

To enhance your truffle recipe, serve wines of the Chardonnay or Pinot Noir grape.

Both grapes exude mushroom, earthy aromas to echo truffles, but choose carefully. Avoid heavy oak, alcohol and sweetness. Instead, ask your retailer to recommend wines that balance fruit, oak, alcohol and refreshing acidity.

For great value, ask for Light Horse Chardonnay (widely-available, less than $15), served deliciously by this home cook with Pasta tossed with Truffle Oil and Cream. Well-made, under-$15 Pinot Noir is a hard find, so check with your retailer for special sales.

Both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are grapes of France's Burgundy region, where earth flavors and acid are prized above fruity flavors and alcohol. Be prepared to spend savings from truffle oil on your fine Burgundy.

Seeing red: Few foods excite he-man/she-woman instincts more than red meat.

“Red wine with red meat” is more than color-coding. Red grape skins contain tannin, which breaks down protein as effectively as a Neanderthal's gnash and tear reflex. Red wine's social interaction factor, however, decreases as mouth-parching tannin increases. Choose a red that balances soft fruit texture with firm tannin.

Portugal gained worldwide attention for her vinho tintos (red wines) when Bruno Prats, famed Bordeaux producer, joined the Portuguese Symington family to produce P + S “Chryseia”, consistently commanding “Best of” ratings around the world, for plush fruit and well-defined tannin, an “elegant monolith” of a wine, about $50. Serve with rich roasts and Chicago-style steak.

For about $19, Chasing Harvest Vinho Tinto Douro offers alluring flavors of deeply-ripe red fruit, raisin, black pepper and chocolate complexities, with pliable tannins for a range of meats and poultry including steak and burgers, lamb curry and slow-cooked beef with Mexican mole.

Write to Advanced Sommelier and Certified Wine Educator Mary Ross at food@dailyherald.com.

Ross' choice

Malbec

Mendoza, Argentina

2013

City Winery Chicago

• Suggested retail and availability: $22 at <a href=" http://www.citywinery.com/chicago/wine-shop.html">City Winery Chicago</a>; soon available on City Winery's wine list

Firm and fleshy, this Malbec evokes warm memories of young love and long afternoons in the backseat of Dad's car. Produced by the only winery in the Windy City, grapes are sourced from fine Argentine vineyards and rounded with a splash of California Cabernet Franc. Beverage Director Rachel Lea Driver Speckan recommends these plump flavors, spiciness and satisfying grip with flavory red meats — braised short ribs, grilled skirt steak, Moroccan lamb cassoulet — available in City Winery's dining room or in your own home to inspire new memories.

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