Serving the right wine with your carefully crafted meal is de rigeur today. Sommelier Neil Grant shares some tips on pairing wine and food like a pro.

• Keep it simple – concentrate on the two main ingredients of a dish. For example, if you’re serving beef fillet with a tomato-based sauce,you’ll need a robust wine for the red meat, but it should also have strong tannins that will stand up sufficiently to the acidity of the tomato.

• It’s not just about what ingredients you use, but also about how you treat them. Let’s use tomatoes as an example: think of the difference in flavour and texture between a fresh cherry tomato and a sweet and sticky slow-cooked vineripened tomato. Now think of what specific wine qualities will best enhance these differences.

• Move away from the expected varietals. Try something new – Viognier is one of Neil’s favourites. Or how about a blend? Your dish will be a combination of tastes and flavours, so choose a wine with the same level of complexity.

Pairing wine and cheese is an age-old tradition. With the above in mind, here are some quick tips:

• Goat's milk cheese: sauvignon blanc and sparkling wines.
• Mature goat's milk cheese: go for a robust red
• Soft/semi-soft white or washed rind cheese: wooded chardonnay
• Fresh or cream cheeses: riesling and gewurtztraminer.
• Mature hard cheese: old red wines, sweet sherry or wooded chardonnay.
• Blue-veined varieties: mellow the saltiness with a sweet or fortified wine.

Caveaux Wine Bar in Cape Town is one of the best when it comes to pairing food and wine. Be sure to pay them a visit next time you're in the Mother City.