Summer Pairing Wisdom

The lighter flavors and texture of seafood really matches the light and delicate air of the beginning of summer. It is just hot enough that people are craving light food, and lighter wine. Oddly enough though some of the best wine to pair with summer salads and seafood are not the delicate whites and oaked chardonnay that often come to mind. Adding a clean red wine with fruity notes can actually suit the mood even better by providing a great contrast. Of course to play it safe a rose can easily fill the slot. But the point of picking a slightly sweet and refreshing red with fruit flavors like strawberry in it will provide just the right amount of contrast to the keep the fresh mood of the food from seeming monotonous with a fresh wine.
Make sure of course to serve the red wine a little cooler than room tempurature, or even keep it in single bottle wine carriers that are insulated,  to keep it from getting warm and not so refreshing in people’s glasses.  The contrast way of pairing wine with foods is not used often because it seems easy to go wrong, but just try to get something with only a hint of sweet and remember that it is okay to make calls other than what wine experts say is the good pairing.