True or False?

Brogans that go with red wines never go with white wines.

Just kidding, we know that all shoes are compatible with all wines, whether they're brogans, stilettos, or sneakers. It just depends on the time of day and the day of the week and the month of the year.

But how about red wines, white wines, and appropriate food pairings? Does a red wine "food" preclude it from being a white wine "food"? I don't think so, and here's why.

Most every wine-o-phile will recommend a red wine to pair with earthy foods like mushroom pastas and meat dishes. "Oh, you must drink a chianti", they'll say (think Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or a Valpolicello - and I would have to agree, very yummy.) Or pair this type of dish with an older, nut-scented white, like a beautifully aged white Rioja. The pros like to pair spicy foods with juicy young red wines or crisp, zippy whites. And who can forget the 10th Commandment of wine pairings: "Thou shalt not pair a red/pink/less-than-white wine with fish." Truth is - there is not a wine in the world that I like to drink with fish. Nothing, zip, nada, no. So there you go.

One of the best things the 1980's did for the wine drinkers of the world is open many, many wines to the masses. Beginning with the Chablis' and Chardonnays, wine critics encouraged people to try new wines from new regions. So now, we can say - wine is supposed to be fun. Don't allow someone else to put their labels on what you should or should not drink with something. Try new combinations. Mix it up. And in the end, drink what you like!