Wine drinking has become a popular leisure activity in the last few years as businesses celebrate “Wine Wednesday”. Wineries seem to be popping up everywhere, and lists have been released pairing candy and Girl Scout cookies with wines that complement their flavors.

A report published by “Current Biology” found that the way food and wine feel in our mouth is actually what makes the flavors more appealing, not the taste itself.

We perceive similarities aromatically because most of what we think of as flavor actually comes from smell. The tongue only picks up sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, tartness, and savoriness.

“A stringent wine and fatty meat are like the ying and yang of the food world, sitting on opposite ends of a sensory spectrum,” Cell Press, publisher of Current Biology stated in an October 2012 article.

One key to pairing the right wine with the right food is matching recipes to the wine that is made in the same culture as the food. For instance, Tuscan recipes and Tuscan wines almost always fit together naturally.

Cheese and wine is a staple when it comes to food and wine pairing but some varieties are better than others. A dry rosé has the acidity of white wine with the fruit character of red, which is what makes it the perfect wine pairing with almost all cheese varieties.

Rosé sparkling wines have such depth and flavor that they pair well with a variety of main course meals.

Sauvignon Blanc wine pairs well with tart dressings and sauces, whereas Grüner Veltliner’s citrus and clover scent accents herbs in a dish, while the silkiness of Chardonnay compliments seafood, both in and out of rich sauces.

Off-dry Riesling wines pair well with sweet and spicy dishes. The spiciness and hot flavors of hot tamales candies are best complimented with the apricot and white peach flavors of Riesling Chateau Montelena.

Most dry sparkling wines, like champagne, have a faint touch of sweetness which makes them more refreshing when paired with salty food.

“I don’t normally snack while drinking wine, but if I were to snack, I would choose something salty,” Shelby Thomas, wine connoisseur said. “I prefer sweet wine, like Moscato, so I want something salty to mix with it. Sweet food makes the wine taste bitter.”

The sweet sparkling flavors in Moscato wine emphasize the fruit in a desert rather than the sugar. Moscato perfectly offsets the sugar-dusted lemon flavors of the Savannah Smiles Girl Scout cookie.

Cabernet Sauvignon’s tannins refresh the palate after each bite of red meat and Syrah wines match great with highly spiced dishes. The spicy notes of the red wine mix well with heavily seasoned meats without being overpowering.

Malbec wines are big and bold enough to drink with foods brushed heavily with spiced barbeque sauces.

The Girl Scout cookie, Do-si-dos, are suggested to be paired with a tawny port wine. Due to the nut flavor and oatmeal aromas of the port, the oatmeal and peanut butter flavors of the cookie are emphasized.

Samoa cookies are best paired with Madeira Malvasia. The cooked flavors in the Madeira mix excellent with the coconut flavor in the Samoas just like they do with the rich peanut butter and chocolate flavors of Tagalong cookies.

Thin Mints rich dark chocolate and mint flavor appeals the sweetness and jam flavor of a red wine which also compliments Peanut M&M’s and Whoppers candy.

All of the food and wine pairings are subject to personal interpretation but the examples stated serve as good guidelines to getting the most savoriness out of food and wine.