more about my sauce

[Randy Caparoso]

This is not going to well, gentlemen. Shame on you, Curmudgeon -- you're supposed to be recommending wine, not beer! I love red wine with super hot foods -- no "enemy" relationship for me!

Sambuca, I'm assuming that your meat sauce is tomato based with the usual ground beef, with seasonings and chopped basil cooked in by the evaporating vodka, then lightened with cream and touched up with the world famous Tabasco to taste. I'm there!

If I'm right, you'd be better off with a light, zesty Italian red wine -- a Chianti Classico, Valpolicella, or Dolcetto -- rather than foodie's white wine recommendations (since oily beef and zesty tomatoes are better served by stronger red wine flavors, rather than soft white wines).

However, I could be wrong (it's rare, but it happens) and you're talking about a creamy white sauce with no tomatoes and maybe with chicken as your "meat." Then you should go back to foodie's recommendation of a light Italian Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, or (for something dry and a little stony textured) Pinot Grigio. I'm not sure about his slightly sweet Riesling recommendation, since I would assume that if the dish is white sauce oriented that you would be using just a dash of Tabasco (in which case you really don't need a sweet/fruity white to offset such mild heat).