Have you experienced that wonderful feeling when it seems the perfect wine was served to complement your meal? It is a joy for the palette and helps create a memorable occasion. This summer, the Sommelier Society of America is presenting an interesting series of evenings on the pairing of wine and food. Each evening highlights a different wine producing country, including France, Italy, Spain, USA, Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) and three countries of the Southern Hemisphere -- Chile, Argentina and South Africa. We attended the second evening, Italy, where wine and food are an integral part of the daily life of the people. The two instructors, Robert Moody and Germaine Greco, have been associated with the Sommelier society for many years.

In speaking with Robert, he commented that the purpose of the series was not to create or enforce rules of wine and food pairing, but quite the opposite. To quote, what I'm after from the class is taste conclusions. We present the wine and food, offer a parameter of tastes and then leave it up to personal interpretation We began the tasting with a Bianco from Tuscany, produced by Podere San Luigi. This style of wine is often thought of in Italy as the work horse of every day drinking wines. We were pleased that this particular Bianco proved to be quite earthy on the nose, with a hint of mushrooms. On the palette however it remained crisp and light with a fresh finish. We compared the Bianco with a famous Italian white, Pinot Grigio, from the Friuli region. Pinot Grigio has now replaced the Soave as the favorite everyday white wine of Italy, and is gaining popularity here in the United States. This is not a wine to lay down and keep, but to be enjoyed fresh off the vine! As was commented, if you find a ten year old Pinot Grigio, give it to someone you don't like  maybe your boss.

Luckily for us, this 1999 Pinot Grigio produced by Villa Frattina was not only clean with nice acidity, but had a lovely pineapple aroma. It had a citrus note on the palette and when paired with the grilled shrimp, it seemed we had squeezed a drop of lemon over it. A wonderful wine for a balmy summer evening when you throw a shrimp on the grill. There was an array of delicacies to pair and compare with each wine, such as seared tuna in herbs, scampi in olive oil and garlic, and baked sole with Mediterranean herbs. These are eaten regularly in Italy and the wines certainly pair naturally with their daily menu. For instance, the smoky overtone of the salty, grilled chicken was balanced nicely by a slightly sweet, bubbly Prosecco from the Veneto region. This combination was refreshing and another good choice for those hot summer nights relaxing beneath the arbor covered with grapes. Now for our favorites, the Italian reds. To begin, what could compare in fame to the famous sights of Tuscany such as Michelangelo's David or the tower of Pisa? Of course it must be Chianti.

The one served being a young 1998 produced by Palazzino, and proved to be quite tart, yet when paired with different meats, came up to the occasion. Just a side point; don't be fooled by the symbol of the black rooster on many bottles of Chianti Classico, which is often associated with high quality. In reality, this is an association that must be bought into to receive this status symbol. Sometimes, the most prestigious and highest quality wineries will refuse to buy into this association and therefore will not bear the symbol of the rooster. Along with tastings of grilled chicken and loin of pork, we enjoyed roast fillet with the medium to full bodied Salice Salentino from the Apulia region in the heel of the boot. Interestingly, there is more wine produced each year from this small area than all of the United States combined! This is a hot climate and can be very mountainous. There is much poverty and like the grapes grown here; the people must struggle to survive. We were surprised when a deliveryman from an Italian Pizzeria, walked in with an Italian style pizza! Robert explained with a smile, this was spontaneous, but suggested we pair this delicacy with some reds. No one seemed to mind and we enjoyed it immensely with the Barbera D' Alba, which was full and fruity and complemented the tomatoes. So much for high society tasting! We got serious again when the Super Tuscan arrived along with some fabulous cheeses such as Bel Paese, Fontina Val d' Aosta, Gorgonzola, Reggiano Parmigiano and Pecorino Romano.

The Super Tuscan's are an interesting group, seeing enormous popularity. Producers like Piero Antinori caught the attention of the world when they went out on a limb, not following the regulations of the DOC and creating their own blend of the classic Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon. The philosophy of this new generation is wine makers make better wine than Rome. So with the combination of good wine and food, along with interesting conversation and educational tid bits, we came away feeling as though we had enjoyed a slice of Italy. Wine Meets Food continues on August 7, 14, and 21 from 6-8 pm. For information, call the Sommelier Society of America at (212) 255-8985.