Cooking With Rocco: White Wine

White wine is simple, elegant, and delicious. We drink it at lunch, dinner and as a default cocktail all the time, especially with the onset of balmy spring weather.

White wine can be the perfect companion for so many great moments in life -- the moments that we share with people we care about. But white wine was meant to be more than just what you drink when you don't know what else to drink.

Choosing the right white wine can be a bit tricky. For example, choosing a chardonnay over a pinot gris can completely change the texture and flavor of a meal. A heavy, high-alcohol, oaky white can overwhelm the flavor of a dish, while an aromatic fruity white with good acidity can elevate a dish to a whole new level of pleasure, a truly ethereal match. Believe it or not, the wine can change the temperature of the moment.

Below is a perfect white-wine pairing with an original recipe. It comes from my James Beard Award-winning book Flavor, and it is indeed transcendent.

Don't get too caught up with the challenge of matching wines to food and the anxiety that comes with it. Here, I have done the work for you. Think of these parings as a good friend, someone you want to be around and have a laugh with. OK, feeling relaxed now?

Let's talk about our first wine: It's a Riesling Kabinett. Whether from Alsace, France, or Germany, this wine is light, somewhat sweet, but still quite refreshing due to the balanced acidity. It's clean on the palate and pairs well with food. In fact, I consider it a food wine.