Editor's note: Continuing the series on matching food and wine, Maggie Beale highlights the attributes of wine varietals and some newly discovered facts that may surprise you.

It's always possible to match food to wine; some results, however, are better than others, and choosing the best of these involves tasting as often as you can, and keeping notes on what you find.

Merlot grapes in France, especially in St Emilion and Pomerol

Spiced food and wine is perhaps the most difficult match of all, and your choice may be very different to that of your nearest and dearest. Matching wines to a spicy dish such as curry; be it Indian, Chinese or Malaysian can be very tricky.

Mostly you can forget the Merlot regions of the world: starting with the most famous, Bordeaux. Fast maturing, Merlot as a lush red wine does not go well with Indian food as the spices in the meal usually overpower the flavors of the grape. But, oddly, this doesn't occur with horseradish or wasabi, which are also spicy hot.

Most palates prefer the contrast you get from drinking a fruity yet crisp, lighter and less alcoholic Riesling or an unoaked Chardonnay with a percentage of Semillon. Or even a cool Pinot Noir with certain dishes built around the mellow flavors of cumin rather than sharp-tasting tamarind-rich Vindaloo.

MERLOT

A juicy thin-skinned, black variety, Merlot is the 3rd most planted grape in France, especially in St Emilion and Pomerol.

Merlot Varietal Aromas/flavors:

Fruit: black cherries, ripe plums and currants.

Floral: full blown violets, roses

Spice: cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns and toffee

Herbal: capsicums, green olives

Oak: ranges from toast, tar and smoke to vanilla and coconut

Other, when aged: truffles, large flat and morel or chanterelle mushrooms, leather, cigar box and coffee beans.

RIESLING

Considered to be the leading producers of Riesling, until very recently it seemed to be all they produced, German vineyards on the Mosel River make wines of low alcohol content (the new trend) and pronounced aromas. Previously too sweet for modern palates, newer versions of Riesling with a high natural level of tartaric acid are lower in sugar and more crisp to drink.

Other areas showing well are Australia, Chile, Italy, USA and most outstandingly South Africa.

Riesling Varietal Aromas/flavors:

Fruit: apple, apricots, Anjou pears and white peaches

Floral: wild roses and violets

Spice: not usually evident

Mineral: steely and flinty

Other: Petroleum, kerosene or turpentine and diesel

PINOT NOIR

Pinot Noir blends with such a wide variety of food: roast meat, truffles and mushrooms, that it is sure of a place in the connoisseur's wine cabinet. Pinot Noir is often served with Beef Bourginon or duck - Peking style or French Cassoulet.

One component of Pinot Noir that is attracting a lot of attention from health conscious drinkers is the antioxydant resveratrol, it is three to four times higher compared to other grape varieties, especially when grown in high elevation, cooler climates.

Pinot Noir Varietal Aromas/flavors

Fruit: Raspberries, ripe strawberries, yellow cherries

Spice: Cinnamon, apple-mint and fenugrek

Herbs: Italian oregano, black olives,

Other: Barnyard, leather, meats, black truffles, smokey, toasty, tending to cigar box when aged.

Red or White?

Studies on red wine and health have found that it does seem to contribute to keeping heart attacks at bay.

In 2003 it was reported that a leading cardiologist, Dr William McCrea of a Swindon hospital in UK, had been prescribing two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon a day to 400 cardiac patients for two years. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah, Pinot Noir and Syrah (Shiraz) are all rich in flavenoids,

At the time he was quick to point out the study was not scientific, but said the patients who had taken the prescription 'do far better' than those that don't, in reducing the risk of a second heart attack by 50%.

But don't take that as a blanket excuse to nip to the nearest wine bar, McCrea also says, 'Moderate intake of alcohol seems to prevent coronary heart disease, and although too much alcohol can contribute to heart disease, there is always an absence of red wine in the diet of drinkers who get it.'

Other health related studies include tests on resveratrol being carried out at the University of Leicester. Pinot Noir is said to have three times the amount other grapes have. Tests are also being done on tricin from rice, anthocyanins (antioxidants from bilberries, and in red wine) and curcumin, from curry spices. Scientists predict a pill with these 'life savers' will be marketed by 2010.

Polyphenols found in fermented grape seeds and skins (the lees in winemaking) could help prevent tooth decay, according to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in USA, and may have wider applications in the fight against life-threatening bacterial infections.

(HK Edition 01/28/2008 page2)