By (Dry) Gwen Berry

There’s a romantic meal coming up for you on the 14th, and your date likes wine. Problem is, you’re not really up on the wine/food pairing thing.

Allow us to present the Swirl Girls’ Guide for the Clueless Guy. We will take the guessing out of it, so you can either show up with a good wine under your arm, or you can help order one at a restaurant. A great meal and a good wine choice can send your dinner from the ho-hum into the heavenly sphere.

From appetizers to chocolate, here are the tried-and-true pairing, as well as some we’ve marked “adventurous” that will both taste great and impress your date with your considerable (!) wine knowledge. We’ve covered both vegetarians and carnivores in our listings and we included wines for every taste in the under-$25 wines on a budget and over-$25 wines-that-impress categories.

Have fun, drink well.

For the vegetarians

Are you smitten with a girl who might not share your love of meat? There are plenty of wines to match with pastas, grains and vegetables that will impress her (and just might go a long way to enhancing your match!).

Classic matches: Pasta primavera could incorporate many kinds of vegetables, but typically you might find broccoli, peas, and squash, none of which would carry a prominent flavor so it’s best to pair with the sauce. And the sauce might be a light dressing made from garlic and olive oil, butter and/or vegetable stock. An Italian pinot grigio — light, crisp and fairly neutral – would perfectly complement the light, simplistic primavera.

A creamy risotto is both comfortable and heavenly. Add porcini mushrooms, a little bit of herbs and parmesan cheese, and you’ve got a rich, earthy dish that velvety pinot noir, with its low tannins and acidity, could add romance to.

The acidity and meatiness of the classic eggplant parmigiana with marinara, cheese and a side of pasta begs for another acidic Italian classic, Chianti (made primarily with the sangiovese grape).

For the adventurous: Torrontés, the white specialty from Argentina, which grows almost nowhere else in the world, is more full-bodied than the pinot grigio but still refreshingly crisp for the primavera.

Another elegant and earthy red wine to marry with the risotto is tempranillo, a major grape in Spain’s Rioja region. “In flavor, (it) is often compared to France’s pinot noir…” states The Wine Bible.

With the eggplant, stay with Italy but move north from Tuscany into the Piedmont region and try a barbera, which is the country’s second most planted red grape. It’s acidic, but not overly tannic, and the better wines are juicy and flavorful.

Great wines on a budget: Primaterra Pinot Grigio; Zolo Torrontés; Michele Chiarlo, Barbera d’Asti, Le Orme; Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico; Gladius Tempranillo; Courtney Benham Pinot Noir, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.

Wines that will really impress her: Terre Degli Arimanni Pinot Grigio (this one is under $25 and quite impressive); Patrice Rion Vielles Vignes Nuits-Saint-Georges; Querceto Chianti Classico Riserva; Bodegas Mambrilla Alidis Expresión

Seafood pairings

If your sweetie is a lover of all things from the sea, choose a white wine to match her dish. Seafood dishes tend to be on the lighter side of the food spectrum, so crisp whites with a good amount of acidity are the way to go.

Classic matches: The crisp, citrus and herbal character of sauvignon blanc is a great match for lighter seafood dishes that incorporate a lot of citrus or vegetal flavors (like a sautéed white fish with a lemon sauce or a cold seafood dish like sushi or ceviche). For heavier seafood dishes (like lobster with drawn butter) try a full-bodied chardonnay. Just stay away from the overly oaked style of some California chards.

For the adventurous: Albariño is a fantastic alternative white wine for lighter seafood fare. This Spanish white wine comes from the region of Rias Baixas, along Spain’s northwestern coast. The maritime climate and seaside winds produce an aromatic wine with a zesty acidity that is a great match for seafood, and especially shrimp. If she’s having a heavier fish, like lobster or salmon, impress her with a full-bodied viognier.

Dining in? Here are some suggestions for what to bring home from the store:

Great wines on a budget: Martin Codax Albarino, Pascal Jolivet Sancerre, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Francis Ford Coppola Directors Cut Chardonnay, Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier

Wines that will really impress: Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Ladoucette Pouilly Fume, Brancott Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc “B”, Louis Latour Chassagne Montrachet, Guigal Condrieu

Wine and meat pairings

Whether dark (steak, lamb, hamburger) or light (chicken, pork) meat, you can’t go wrong just remembering a few easy rules: heavier wines with darker meat, lighter wines with white meat.

Classic matches: Like all good rules, some can be broken when appropriate. For dark meats, keep wine choice to a red and you can’t go wrong. We’re recommending cabernet sauvignon or zinfandel. Try a meritage with lamb for a great taste.

For lighter meats, however, it doesn’t have to be a white wine choice. The usual chardonnay is fine, but lighter reds (pinot noir, Beaujolais) go well with chicken and turkey, too. For pork, a pinot noir or shiraz would pair nicely with the meal.

For the adventurous: Try a syrah. Syrahs are bolder red wines, and if your date likes zinfandels but hasn’t tried a syrah, this would be a good choice – and she would be impressed by your knowledge!

Great wines on a budget (steak, burgers): Gnarlyhead Zinfandel, Chateau Graves de Peyroutas St. Emilion 2006, 2007 Cusumano Nero d’ Avola, 2006 Courtney Benham Cabernet Franc

Wines that will really impress (steak, burgers, lamb): 2003 Patrice Rion Vielles Vignes Nuits–Saint–Georges, Elderton Ashmead Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Dauzac Margaux 2005, 2006 Justin Isosceles

Great wines on a budget for turkey, chicken, pork: 2007 Folie a Deux Menage a Trois (red); 2007 Napa Station Chardonnay (white), Antinori Toscana Red

Wines that impress for turkey, chicken, pork: 2006 Hartford Court Four Hearts, Russian River Valley Chardonnay, 2006 Martin Ray Pinot Noir, Mastroberadino Fiano di Avellino

Dreamy cheese pairings

Who doesn’t love cheese? With so many different textures and flavors of cheese, there’s at least one kind to please every palate. But all the variety also means there are no hard and fast rules about wine pairing. To further the confusion, cheese can be served as a hors d’ oeuvres before your meal, as the main meal itself (think fondue) or as a dessert. All of these factors will affect the wine you decide to pair.

Classic matches: We’ll admit to being an equal opportunity red wine and cheese kind of girls. No matter what the cheese or when it’s eaten, we’re happy sipping on a big, dry Old World red. And while we’ve never had a very bad pairing experience with this method, there are a few other ways to go.

If you are celebrating your love with a festive bottle of bubbly, try pairing it with a soft and mild cheese. Champagne and brie is a classic match, but you can also try goat cheese, Colby or mild cheddar. Cheeses with an herbal flavor (like an herb-coated chevre) or a slight bite (like a sharp cheddar or gruyere) match well with sauvignon blanc. And for that cheese fondue, try a full and fruity chardonnay or riesling.

Red wine lovers can continue sipping on their cabernet with a dessert platter of sharp cheddar, gorgonzola, grana padano, or any other aged cheese.

For the adventurous: Another good rule of thumb for wine and cheese pairing is to stick to regional matches. In other words, wine was made to pair with the food of the region. Try pairing an aged Italian fontina with a delicious Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino or a pecorino romano with Chianti. Enjoy a Spanish manchego or roncal with a tempranillo from Rioja.

For the most decadent end to a romantic meal, try pairing soft, stinky cheese with a small glass of sweet dessert wine. We can’t think of a better aphrodisiac than honey-drenched gorgonzola topped with hazelnuts and paired with Sauternes or Tawny port.

Great wines on a budget: MUMM Napa Brut Prestige, J Cuvee 20 Brut, Pascal Jolivet Sancerre, Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills Chardonnay H3, Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico, Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva, Bodegas LAN Reserva Rioja, Chateau Tour du Mayne Haut Medoc

Wines that will really impress: MUMM DVX 2001, Chateau la Louviere Pessac Leognan Blanc, Chateau Lilian Ladouys Saint Estephe, Chateau Dauzac Margaux, Chateau Langoa Barton Saint Julien, Muga Rioja Reserva, Villa Lanata Barolo lo Zoccolaio, Antinori Brunello di Montalcino Pian della Vigne, Chateau Guiraud Sauternes, NV Graham 20-year-old Tawny Port

Chocolate and wines: a perfect pair

Congratulations! You’ve made it to dessert, and if you’ve been following our guide so far, you’re probably both feeling relaxed and happy, so there’s not too much that can go wrong! If your girl’s a chocolate lover, and yes, that’s something you should know by now, you have a lot of great choices in the accompanying wine.

Classic matches: Any big, yummy cabernet sauvignon, which is an easy way out if you have enough left over from dinner. Take one bite of the chocolate, a swallow of the wine and repeat.

For the adventurous: Pull out a port and prepare to see her swoon. If your dessert has any red berries in it, think raspberries, chocolate-covered strawberries, etc., then reach for a ruby port. Port, which hails from Portugal, is definitely a sweet wine but will be a show-stopping finale. If the dessert has any sort of nuts, find a tawny port. And if it’s white chocolate, you’re going to want to go with a Muscat or the Hungarian Tokaji. But make sure you really like her if you’re going to buy a Tokaji – they’re pricey!

Did the cooking yourself? We’re impressed and here’s what will impress her.

Great wines on a budget: 2007 Barnard Griffin Syrah Port (try with chocolate-covered raspberries), W & J Graham’s “Six Grapes” Reserve Porto, Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Daglia Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon

Wines that will really impress: Anything Tokaji Aszu for white chocolate with four, five or six Puttanyos, Taylor Fladgate 20-year Aged Tawny Port and Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon

~ Swirl Girls