Many people mistakenly believe that they will ruin the whole meal if they make the "wrong" wine choice. The good news is that it's impossible to ruin a good meal if you select a wine that you enjoy regardless of what the "wine experts" say. Remember, the wine experts are not eating your dinner. If you want to talk "rules" of wine and food pairing, the oldest one in the book is red with meat, white with fish or fowl. But rules are meant to be broken. In recent years we've gotten bold and have said it's okay to have Pinot Noir, which is a light red wine, or even Merlot with salmon. Having said that, there are some general guidelines you may find helpful when selecting a wine to enhance your meal.

Select light-bodied wines to pair with lighter food, and fuller-bodied wines to go with heartier, more flavourful dishes. Using the salmon example above, the Pinot Noir works beautifully with the fish because you are matching light to light. Otherwise a full-bodied, heavier wine will overpower a light, delicate dish, and similarly, a lighter style wine will not even register on your personal flavour meter if you sip it with a hearty roast. You may as well drink water.

Consider how the food is prepared. Is it grilled, roasted, or fried, for instance, and what type of sauce or spice is used? For example, chicken with a lemon butter sauce will call for a different more delicate wine to play off the sauce than chicken cacciatore with all of the tomato and Italian spices, or a grilled chicken breast.

For every food action, there is a wine reaction. When you drink wine by itself it tastes one way, but when you take a bite of food, the wine tastes different. This is because wine is like a spice. Elements in the wine interact with the food to provide a different taste sensation like these basic reactions:

Sweet Foods:
like Italian tomato sauce, Japanese teriyaki, and honey-mustard glazes make your wine seem drier than it really is so try an off-dry (slightly sweet) wine to balance the flavour (Chenin Blanc or Riesling).

High Acid Foods
like salads with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, soy sauce, or fish served with a squeeze of lemon go well with wines higher in acid (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir).

Bitter and Astringent Foods
like a mixed green salad of bitter greens, Greek kalamata olives and charbroiled meats accentuate a wine's bitterness so complement it with a full-flavoured forward fruity wine (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot). Big tannic red wines (like Shiraz or Syrah wines) will go best with your classic grilled steak or lamb chops, as the fat in the meat will tone down the tannin (bitterness) in the wine.

The first sparkling wine to offer both natural lightness and a delicious full taste, lighter in alcohol and kilojoules

This is a lively, salmon pink sparkling wine that entices all the senses. It reveals a delightful mélange of sweet, fruity flavours with hints of strawberry, plum and tropical fruit. This exuberant bubbly perfectly balances freshness and sweetness with its playful palate of strawberry and sensual plum flavours followed by the richness of Muscat. It is pure femininity in a bottle and is sure to uplift your spirit.

An explosion of pinpoint bubbles, characteristic fine aroma and yeastiness on the nose followed by the rich complexity, finesse and lingering aftertaste.

An elegant but crisp wine with ripe, gooseberry flavours on the fore palate backed by tropical fruits and a hint of grassiness that lingers long on the aftertaste.

All the varietal flavours of freshly-cut grass, gooseberries, green peppers and herbs combine with subtle fruitiness, gives the wine its youthful vibrance.

A highly praised Sauvignon Blanc, internationally acknowledged as among the finest produced in South Africa. Grassy, green pepper and asparagus flavours meld with tropical fruits and gooseberries to create a high toned, truly exciting wine.

A straw-coloured wine with a tinge of gold. Shows marmalade and toast on the nose and minor notes of citrus. Peach and pear come to the fore, backed by toastiness from barrel fermentation and ageing in wood.

Wonderful fresh citrus fruit mixed with tropical zestiness on the nose. Good firm acidity on the palate with lots of citrus, peach, melon and grapefruit flavours on the palate, with a hint of minerality. Delightfully long finish.

The wine is intense greenish yellow in colour. Well-integrated, rich tropical fruit aromas and flavours are complemented by a hint of oak. A smooth, elegant wine with fresh leesy flavours, a creamy lime backbone and a lingering aftertaste.

Full bodied, crisp, lightly wooded Chardonnay. Delicate notes of apple and lime. Complex mineral tones abound in a pleasantly lingering finish.

This "King of the Chardonnays" is pale gold in colour with green tints. Elegant and powerful on the nose with hints of vanilla, hazelnut and toast. Round and full on the palate with aromas of white flowers and vanilla.

Perfect everyday drinking wine. A youthful wine showing fresh ripe melon with a mellow, round, mild and honeysuckle fruit palate and refreshingly long finish.

Fresh fruit flavours are brought through, allowing for a lovely chilled easy drinking Chenin Blanc!

Distinctive herbaceous, ripe stone fruit and raisin aromas support a wonderfully balanced palate with a lingering pleasant finish.

A light, delicately fruity wine, blended from three grape varieties. This is the lightest of the light white wines. Lower in alcohol and is ideal for the health-conscious. Soft and refreshing.

On the nose the wine displays peaches, apricot, dried fruit and flavours of honey and lemon. On the palate it is an intense late harvest wine with an excellent fruit acid and sugar balance.

This is a wine of concentrated flavours, where the traces of guava from the Chenin Blanc are contrasted by the flinty character contributed by the Sauvignon Blanc to make for a light- bodied wine with a delectably prominent fruit character.

A blend of Sauvignon & Semillon. On the nose, lovely gooseberries & lemongrass aromas, which carries through to the palate, followed by honeysuckle, tangerine and lemon blossom.

An uncomplicated, easy drinking, off-dry quality blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Cape Riesling and Chardonnay.

Pale gold in colour with a muted grassiness on the nose, this elegant wine is crisp, fresh and dry. Full bodied and well-integrated, the Zevenblanc makes an immediate impact on the palate, filling the mouth with its complex flavours. It finished with a satisfying, long after- taste.

A youthful fragrantly refreshing off-dry wine with tropical fruit salad flavours that linger to a crisp clean finish.

An easy drinking wine with a soft succulent fruitiness and a light rose colour. The wine bursts with strawberry, cherry and plum flavours and with a low alcohol content, it is an easy drinking wine for everyday enjoyment.

A vibrant rose with a salmon pink colour. The wines bouquet shows sweet strawberries and melon aromas. Fresh fruit flavours are apparent on the pallet and enhanced by a crisp refreshing acidity.

Created for those who live and love to the full, Grünberger Rosenlese perfectly harmonises the freshness of classic Sauvignon Blanc with the luscious fruitiness of Ruby Cabernet. Wherever love is young - uncork Grünberger Rosenlese - and colour your life with a taste of romance

Smooth, full-bodied style with rich mulberry, plum and cassis supported by soft tannins. The wine is deep red in colour, smooth with good weight made in a friendly new Cape style with no hard edges.

Winemaker Martin Moore describes this deep ruby red wine as having a delicate bouquet of berry with hints of tobacco with an oaky background on nose. On palate it is full-bodied, compact, with a good tannic backbone.

This is a medium-bodied wine and easy to drink. On the nose it shows subtle aromas of raspberry with a background note of cherry. On the palate fresh fruit berry flavours predominate.

A soft lush juicy smooth entry with cranberry and ripe red cherry flavours. Well balanced with a long aftertaste of coffee & plums. A medium to full bodied Merlot of pleasing intensity with a smooth soft nature

A soft-tannined and ready for early drinking, despite its full-bodied structure. The liqueur cherries and chocolate on the nose and palate are complemented by nuances of wood.

An exciting expedition of wild berry flavours and aromas layered with intriguing oak spices and soft tame tannins that gracefully bow out in a long fruity finish.

2004 Vintage. Zonnebloem winemaker Michael Bucholz describes this ruby-coloured wine as showing traces of dried fruit and smoke on the nose with soft tannins and succulent berry fruits on the palate.

A deep purple tint on the rim with delicious flavours of ripe strawberry, banana, juicy plums and rich red cherry. Produced in an early drinking style with well-integrated wood and a soft smooth finish.

South Africa's born and bred cultivar rejuvenated by Nederburg's bold young winemakers to reveal intense cherry and raspberry flavours enhanced by silky tannins. Enjoy with the Cape's traditional bobotie, roasts and robust pasta dishes.

Winemaker Coenie Snyman says of this medium-bodied, smooth and very approachable wine made for early enjoyment that its nose offers ripe strawberry and cherry aromas carried through on the palate.

Ruby red medium-bodied blend of Cabernet, Merlot & Shiraz. The grandfather of South African wines.

A fusion of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Ripe black currant fruit with a hint of chocolate and a whiff of leather from the Shiraz. Medium-bodied with savoury flavours of smoked meat.

Backsbergs' reliable everyday drinking wine. Ripe berry and floral aromas with a soft, fruity taste. Light and easy drinking.

A lush, spicy blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec & Primitivo. A delicious wine with cherries and chocolate and slight Cedarwood undertones.

A Velvety smooth blend with good depth of colour well rounded with concentrations of cassis, bramble fruit and dark fruit flavours.

The wine has a rich spicy Shiraz nose with layers of cabernet berry flavours and supple fruit tannins on the palate. A generous and rewarding red wine.

The aristocrat of Cape red wines, dry and medium-bodied with a unique bouquet. Aromas of tobacco, chocolate, toast and vanilla. The tannins give the wine complexity and excellent ageing potential.

A potato explosion with ham, bacon, mushroom and jalapeno, served on an open omelet with toast.

Chocolate, Strawberry, Lime, Banana, Vanilla or Bubblegum Milkshake, or 200ml Cream Soda, Fanta Orange, Sprite or Coke

A selection of the best seafood - calamari, fresh fish, shrimps, mussels, crab and prawn, served on rice in an old fashioned cauldron.

One extra large or two medium (availability), pan grilled in butter - served with rice, veggies and chips

Chicken wings, calamari rings, spare ribs, chicken strips, mini samoosas, chips and two sauces. Serves 2 persons.

An Italian cheesecake made with Mascarpone cheese and boudoir biscuits, soaked in espresso and brandy syrup, decorated with a rich coffee glaze and a chocolate coffee bean.