For those of us who put as much care into choosing a wine as we do food, it helps to know a little bit of the thought process that goes into pairing them.

The wine-and-food pairing dilemma comes about because wine should be treated just like a food. After all, it has flavors, weight, aftertaste, structure and nuance. Ignore this fact and you risk a disappointment with either the wine or the food.

That's why books are written and classes are given on the subject.

Based on my experience using the simple and basic guidelines below, I may not achieve the absolute perfect pairing of wine with food, but I definitely optimize my wine and food experience.

If the perfect pairing is a moment of pure harmony that is unmistakable and often unforgettable, the optimized pairing is one without any obvious clash of food and wine components.

Fortunately, the vast majority of the pairings I've had based on the rules below worked well enough to create a pleasing, if not perfect, combination.

1. Pair the "weight" of the food with that of the wine — lighter foods with delicate wines (usually white), and heavier foods with full-body wines.

2. Pair fruity wines with dishes topped with fruity sauces. Try to match the fruit flavors, if possible.

3. Pleasing combinations can be achieved through the combination of complementary flavors in the wine and food or with contrasting flavors of the wine and food. The ultimate contrast pairing is a salty English Stilton cheese with a sweet dessert wine.

4. When you wish to spotlight a very special wine, choose a dish that is almost neutral in flavor so that it doesn't compete with the wine

5. Dishes with a strong amount of vinegar, i.e. salad dressings, almost always make a wine taste bad. The best bet is a wine with high acidity, such as a sparkling wine, riesling or Beaujolais.

6. It's perfectly acceptable to drink red wine with fish, keeping rule No. 1 in mind. Salmon pairs wonderfully with pinot noir.

7. Choosing a wine style that originates from the same country as the food style improves your odds of creating a good combination. Think Italian wine (or Italian varietals grown in California) with Italian food.

8. When in doubt, always choose your personal wine preference, regardless of the food.

— Send your questions about wine to wineologist@earthlink.net or by mail to Len Napolitano in care of the Ventura County Star, P.O. Box 6006, Camarillo, CA 93011. Wineology is a registered trademark of Len Napolitano.