Pairing wine with food is a mystical process, and I use the word "process" because there are no fixed rules. It's possible to argue that a wide variety of wines would work just fine with most dishes.

Moreover, how a dish is prepared dictates the sort of wine that works with it. To say a dish is "chicken with garlic" isn't very specific. Done with a concentrated red wine and a balsamic reduction sauce, such a chicken dish would be best with red wine, but done with rosemary and white wine sauce it calls for a light white.

Also, keep in mind that there are many different ways to view wine with food. It may be seen as an accompaniment with certain dishes because it contributes compatible, harmonizing flavors (such as a rich, unctuous Chardonnay would be with lobster bisque). But it also may be seen as a contrast to a dish, or a counterpoint, (such as a dry Riesling would be with an onion tart).

Or it could simply be there to quench the fire of a highly seasoned dish (the way Gewurztraminer douses the fire of spicy Szechuan or Thai food). Or it's there to help offset the acidity in a dish, like Chianti does with tomato sauces.

Obviously, personal preference should be considered. If you detest the soft, sweet, fat, rich structure of so many of today's Chardonnays, and lobster bisque is served, you might choose a Semillon to avoid the style of wine that displeases you and pick one that will.

Moreover, a quality dry or off-dry rose wine usually is a fine accompaniment to a wide array of foods, meaning that if someone at the table orders seafood and another orders meat, a pink wine is a good all-purpose choice to sort of satisfy all.

(Nothing, of course, replaces a dark, rich red wine with steak, but at least pink wine is better than Chardonnay.)

When it comes to soup and pairing a wine with it, it's best to think of the specific ingredients being used, and to decide what might be an accompaniment that best brings out the flavors.

Tomato basil soup, a superb dish these days with tomatoes ripening, is a popular dish with many versions. If the version you are using calls for a lot of basil, I think first of Sauvignon Blanc.

Sauvignon Blanc is a superior grape variety that lately produces a wide range of styles, from the distinctly grassy and herbal New Zealand style to the more mineral-y Sancerre and Pouilly-Fum?, and all the way to the rich, barrel-fermented style of some of the more expensive California wines.

Because of the assertive minty quality of basil, I lean toward the more fruit-driven Sauvignon Blancs, such as the attractive St. Supery ($20), with its faint mint quality that accents the same flavors in the soup.

Some people like to drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top of each serving of tomato-basil soup, and if so you may like to see what the fruit of a dry ros? such as the 2007 Bonterra ($13) does for the flavors.

And if the soup is slightly sweet (from either the addition of a trace of sugar or from very ripe tomatoes), you could try a more challenging wine, such as a 2007 Trefethen Riesling, a stylish, dry wine that would be a counterpoint to the soup.

When soup is served, don't forget the wine to go with it!

Wine of the Week: Nonvintage Pedro Domecq Fino Sherry, Jerez, "La Ina" ($17): Many soups call for a dollop of sherry to be added to the soup and a small glass served alongside. This version of sherry, the driest made, is bone dry and crisp and should be served from the youngest bottle you can get and then well chilled. Lean and fresh, smelling of sea breezes and olives, this one is superb. Just ask for La Ina; it's one of the best-selling brands in the U.S.

Dan Berger resides in Sonoma County, Calif. Berger publishes a weekly newsletter on wine and can be reached at danberger@VintageExperiences.com. To find out more about Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.