{Three Wines, Two Dinners and Two Nights}

Wine is the only beverage that is so carefully and consistently matched with food. The meal’s flavors can affect the taste of a wine to a surprising degree. And as we’ve learned, very often a wine that doesn’t go well with one dish, will be a perfect partner with the next.

Below we've paired a few wines with a couple simple dinners -- eggplant parmesan and a sausage and sweet peppers dish -- and then we ranked the wines. And as you'll see, that which comes last, soon shall be first!

The Wines
Il Fiorino Chianti, $8
Umberto Cesari, Sangiovese di Romagna Riserva, $16
2003 Domaine Laurent Gaulthier, Grand Cras, Recolte, Morgon, $15

The First Dinner: Eggplant Parmesan

#1) Il Fiorino Chianti, $8
This was the last wine we tasted and, for the money, the best value. Not a fancy wine by any stretch, but a good food wine. The earthy flavors and good acidity matched well with the tomato-based sauce and the eggplant. This would be a great one for pizza or spaghetti.

#2) Umberto Cesari, Sangiovese di Romagna Riserva, $16
Another very satisfying match. This one ranks second instead of first only because of the price difference. We liked it with the tomatoes and loved how it picked up on the carmelized, brown-sugar flavors of the roasted eggplant.

#3) 2003 Domaine Laurent Gaulthier, Grand Cras, Recolte, Morgon, $15
No doubt about it, this is a nice wine; it just didn’t pair well with the food flavors here. Raspberry flavors really stood out. The tomatoes in this dish made for a tough match-up. We thought this might go well with chicken, duck, or pork with a plum or fruit sauce of some kind.

The Second Dinner: Sweet Italian Sausages and Peppers over Penne

#1) 2003 Domaine Laurent Gaulthier, Grand Cras, Recolte, Morgon, $15
This wine really got its act together with this pairing! Going from last to first place just shows how tricky it is to pair wines. We liked the way the sweet raspberry flavors played against the light heat of the sausage and peppers. We sampled the other wines here, but kept coming back to this one.

#2) Il Fiorino Chianti, $8
Again, this inexpensive chianti rates high. This was nice, easy drinking that really connected with the flavors of the sausage and peppers. A seamless experience. What a great food wine.

#3) Umberto Cesari, Sangiovese di Romagna Riserva, $16
This was a very close race between #2 and #3. We thought the rustic qualities of the Il Fiorino put it slightly on top and made it the better partner for this simple, rustic meal.

Conclusion: Careful pairing really does make a difference. The wine that finished at the bottom last time rose right to the top. A beautiful rags-to-riches story. And a tasty one, too.