Perfect pairing is the key to truly enjoying good wines. But, most often and despite getting the best wines to the dinner table, many of us don't quite get past the clichés of pairing - white wine with white meat and the red with the reds.

Just to add to the learning curve and to give a taste of experienced pairing to connoisseurs, Rhapsody, the Italian restaurant at the Courtyard by Marriott, Chennai hosted an evening of fine dining with a special three-course dinner paired with new-age wines.

The antipasti platter, served to whet our appetites, brought to the table bruschetta with grilled vegetables, mascarpone and basil pesto, accompanied by tomato and fresh buffalo mozzarella with an aged balsamic reduction, apple and pears salad with mixed greens and minestrone soup. To complement the antipasti was a flute of Sartori Pinot Grigio (2009), a sweet, dry white wine that went down well with the range of flavours that the antipasti presented with a bouquet of citrus, peach blossom and pear.

This was followed by one of the chef's signature dishes, the mushroom ravioli, presented with a rich, ruby red glass of Danzante Merlot (2008). The nose gives away notes of wild cherry and blueberry, which lead into notes of black pepper and chocolate. The crisp, full-bodied wine, usually paired with prosciutto, vegetables and mushrooms went down amazingly well with the melt-in-your-mouth ravioli.

For the main course we had the option of choosing between spinach and mozzarella stuffed chicken breast and vegetable parmigiana served with Bel Colle Rosso (2008), a mildly spicy red made from a mix of Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes that complemented the main course with its light bouquet of raspberries.

The evening of sublime gastronomical delights paired with young wines was signed off with a helping of irresistible Rhapsody Tiramisu and a shot of Kahlua. Bliss!

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