Winston Churchill drank wine with breakfast. A frequent A.M. libation was Champagne, and the eponymous Champagne Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill is a tribute to his love for bubbly.

Today's complete breakfast, the one pictured on the back of the cereal box, is a different than Churchill's. It includes two beverages: milk and orange juice. My own wakeup fog is slaked with coffee. Others may prefer tea. 

But, if one brunched with Churchill, all of these beverages would be available, especially Champagne.

Imagine a champagne brunch with a selection of juices, teas, coffees and milk. You'd never taste each one and then select the best tasting drink to accompany every food on the buffet table. Instead, you'd look at the comestibles and pair the food and drink together.

In the mood for chocolate chip pancakes? Those go well with milk or coffee, but not Champagne. Wine is fermented grape juice, more like food than spirits. Please don't do it the disservice of rating it or picking "the best wine" when tasting. Instead, use your learned, individual sense of taste to pair the wine with an occasion or meal. I believe that most wines are like people, there is good in all of them, but they must be put in a harmonious situation for it to show.  And we all know when we have a good thing going.

Any wine professional can tell you to drink what you like. But, there are several components in wine to consider when pairing it with food. The weight, tannin, acidity and sweetness of a wine interplay with the depth, fat, acid and spice in a dish.

Please consider the following points when bringing a bottle home for dinner:

1. The weight and texture of the wine should match the weight and texture of the food -- and don't forget about the sauce. If you are having a light, flaky fish with a squeeze of lemon, select a light-bodied wine that is the heaviness of skim or one-percent milk in your mouth. Examples of this type of wine are sauvignon blanc or Alsatian Riesling. If you are having a steaky fish, like salmon or swordfish, with a rich sauce, select a fuller-bodied wine with the weight (mouth-feel) of whole milk. An example of this type of wine is an oaked chardonnay.

2. Tannins create the sensation of dryness and astringency in your mouth.  Imagine a strongly brewed tea and the way the sides of your mouth react to it. The same reaction occurs when drinking a high-tannin wine, such as cabernet. Pair tannic wines with fat instead of fish oils. The fat in a New York strip modifies the wine's tannins and accentuates its fruit, while fish oils become fishier when mixed with tannins. Steak is a classic pairing with cabernet, but there are many foods with a bit of fat to them. Some others include cheese, mushrooms sautéed in butter or milk chocolate.

3. Have a high acid wine with an acidic dish. Tomato dishes with pinot grigio or sangiovese will taste smooth and sweet because of the rampant acidity in these wines. Tomato dishes with less acidic wines, such as viognier, may be overshadowed by the richness of the wine and taste unripe.

4. Have a sweet wine with spicy foods, not a tannic wine. Tannic wines will make hot food hotter. Barolo with hot peppers is inhumane, but a gewurtraminer or off-dry rose is divine with General Tso's chicken or short ribs studded with red chilis. The fruit sugars in the glass help extinguish the fire in your food while the tannins will flame it.

Armed with these tenants and a sense of curiosity, go to your next wine tasting with an open mind and try everything.  Don't deem one wine the best -- pretend you're taking each bottle home for a different course in an elaborate meal.    Then ask yourself one question when deciding which cork to pull -- WWCD: What Would Churchill Drink?

Upcoming Wine Events

Luca Paschina, winemaker at Barboursville Vineyards, hosts a winemaker's dinner at Morton's on Aug. 7 at 6:30pm. Cost is $95 per person.

Have a wine event on the horizon?  Let us know about it in the comments section below!