Wine Pairings for the Intimate Dinner

Although some restaurants have long wine lists -- and your wine cellar might, too -- most sit-down dinner parties are served by only a bottle or two. That means the wines you choose should be able to pair with more than one dish, to stretch from beginning to end, bridging the flavors from acidic and garlicky to rich and roasted. White wine is almost always the best early wine, and other whites will sometimes follow, if the main course warrants. However, Neema Enriquez's menu calls for a richly textured white to start, followed by a subtle, seductive red for the main event.

To handle the meal from the roasted eggplant soup to the mixed green salad, serve a French sauvignon blanc with the zip and tension to stand up to the varied flavors in these first two courses. Suggestions include Pascal Jolivet 2005 Sancerre ($23), Merlin Cherrier 2005 Sancerre ($11) and Chateau de Sancerre 2005 ($17).

A lush merlot can be introduced for the main course, a natural follow-on to the Sancerre and a lush, plush balance for the flavors of the lamb. Suggestions include the bright black-cherry flavors of the Beringer 2003 Merlot ($20, Napa Valley) and richer, more nuanced Kenwood 2003 Merlot ($16, Sonoma Valley).

-- Dick Rosano