You may find this hard to believe, but sometimes the constant whirlwind of social activity required for this column can be downright exhausting. Dinners, tastings, and the incessant popping of corks leave one longing for a home-cooked supper. So I was glad to accept an invitation to attend a "simple" dinner party. The hostess planned to serve a pre-spring menu of chicken in a sundried tomato pesto, from last year's garden. I was honored to be invited, but I knew there was an ulterior motive when she asked, "About the wine?"   

Food and wine are a natural go together. Wine by its nature has built-in preservatives, which made it and beer the preferred--and even safer--beverages throughout history, since most water was usually bad in olden times. We've known since the Romans that wine was good on its own and even better with food.   

But the challenge is knowing what type of wine will go with a certain food. The old rule is red wine with red meat, game, and pork, white with chicken and fish, but today anything goes. The last pairing chart I saw had suggestions for curry (a gewŸrztraminer) and hot dogs (a white zinfandel)! If you're really in doubt, just ask the clerk at the wine shop or send me an email.   

The only caveat the hostess had was that her cookbook suggested that she serve a Sauvignon Blanc with the main course. We went one step further and declared the evening an all white wine night.   

When the guests arrived, a chilled bottle of  Moet et Chandon Nectar Imperial Champagne ($34.99) was opened with the hors d'oeuvres: a lovely sweet potato and caramelized onion mousse piped onto an endive leaf and oriental lobster salad served on baguette rounds. The champagne was on the sweeter side, which contrasted well with the sharp tastes of cilantro, toasted sesame oil, and lemon zest in the lobster and the bitter flavor of the endive.   

We served two wines with the main dish, both Sauvignon Blancs. The first was Koura Bay Whalesback, 2001 ($19.99) from New Zealand's Awatere Valley, a beautiful spot on the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. Seeing photos of this region instantly pushed it to the top of my vineyard vacation wish list. This wine was crisp and fruity with a little more sweetness than I expected. It went equally well with the chicken and tossed salad.   

The best wine of the evening went to a 1998 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre ($19.99) a much drier French wine from the Loire valley region. The first glass gave off a fresh apple blossom bouquet. This wine tasted of pineapple and apricots and presented a subtle acidity and wonderful finish. Everybody had a second glass.   

For dessert, we went back to champagne or, more correctly, a sparkling wine because it was from California. Only wines made in the Champagne region of France can truly be called champagne.  Piper Sonoma Brut ($13.99) a (IT) Methode Champanois sparkling wine from California was a perfect compliment to old fashioned lemon squares, (hint: use fresh-squeezed lemon juice) with Haagen Daz lemon sorbet. The Piper Sonoma was dry and toasty, like carbonated Chardonnay, and offset the sweet lemon flavors very well. The dinner was a wonderful blending of good food and wine.   

Last weekend, feeling infused with cooking bravado, I made braised sea scallops served on a Boston lettuce salad with a scallion dressing. I choose a 2001 Bernkasteler Badstube, Reisling kabinett Dr. H. Thanisch ($13.99) from Germany. Wow, It was crisp yet sweet--like raw apple juice, no tannins, no oak, no sugary tastes, just nectary, honey melon flavors.    

And yes, I asked the advice of the wine store clerk who was happy to guide me.