nice, glass of chilled Chardonnay.

According to Trevor Nicholls, of JE Lightbourn, summer wine drinkers prefer a vintage that is light bodied and works as a good companion to the tastes of summer.

"During the summer months you want to drink wines like a Sauvignon Blanc -- which goes with a light salad or pasta. You can also drink a light Chardonnay, which is very popular. This wine also goes well with a fresh green salad,'' he said.

"The most popular summer wine in Bermuda is Beringer white Zinfandel, which is fruity with a lovely faint copper colour. This wine is great with a burger or even ribs cooked on the grill. These particular wines would be served chilled,'' Mr. Nicholls said.

He added that during the summer, light bodied red wines such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Gamay Beaujolais -- which is nice and fruity -- could also use a slight chilling.

"Rosemount, from Australia, makes a nice Sauvignon Blanc, and while you are waiting for your dinner guests to arrive their is nothing better than a nice champagne or sparkling wine, such as Gloria Ferrer Blanc Noir, which is crisp and clean and a little pinkish in colour.

"Another great summer wine is Pimms, which has a secret recipe. This wine, which is served at Wimbleton, has a very interesting history,'' Mr. Nicholls said.

He added: "Pimms was served to Winston Churchill in the officers mess before the battle of Ondeman, in South Africa.

"It's a nice wine with a light pasta.'' Mr. Nicholls also said that a lot of people like Fume Blanc which is light bodied and also goes well with a salad.

"The idea of summer drinking is to keep it light and casual, part of summer living,'' he said.

Lucinda H. Lechleider -- director of sales for US-based Banks Channel, distributors of Beringer wines, Napa Ridge, Chateau St. Jean and various others, agreed that Sauvignon Blanc was the perfect summer wine because "it is a little on the grassy, or herbacious side.

"It picks up flavours in salads quite well and it is good with `garlicky' sauces, tomatoes, and greens. This wine is also very nice with shallots and mussels because of its particular flavour. "Sauvignon blanc has a particular flavour that goes well with acidic foods,'' Mrs. Lechleider said.

She added that Beringer's White Zinfandel goes great with fresh watermelon, fruit salads or any kind of raw fruit. "Drinking this wine with fruit tends to make the acidity level more noticeable.

"The trick with a summer wine, or any wine, is to match the wine with the sauce used to prepare a dish,'' Mrs. Lechleider advised.

"For example lets say you have a lovely grilled tuna with a balsamic butter sauce. This would go perfect with the Napa Ridge Pinot Noir or the Gloria Ferrer because it is light and has enough body to stand up to the flavours in the tuna.

"It's good to match the weight of the food with that of the wine,'' Mrs.

Lechleider recommends.

Matching the right foods and wine is a delicate art and a matter of personal taste. Still, a few basic rules should be considered: High alcohol wines taste less so with fish and heavy foods. Lightly flavoured or delicate dishes are a good match for slightly sweet wine.

Sweet wines , when paired with salty food, can taste less sweet but enhance fruitiness. Makes salty foods more appetising and brings the food and wine together.

Tannic wines: When served with any kind of rich protein food like steak, cheese, or fatty foods, will taste less tannic. When paired with salty foods will taste more tannic and will lower the perception of sweetness in a food.

Acidic wines , when served with slightly sweet and salty foods tastes less acidic. It counteracts the heaviness of oily or fatty foods go well with acidic foods.

VINTAGE SELECTIONS -- Lucinda Lechleider (above), of Banks and Channel, recommends matching the weight of the food to that of the wine. Reds such as Merlot go well with heavier tastes, while light whites, such as Zinfandel, work with fish or fruit.