Food and wine pairing can be intimidating, can't it? It's not always easy to pick out the "perfect" bottle to go with your braised short ribs when you're staring at hundreds of possibilities at your local wine shop. Well, now there is a new food and wine concept that will make the task a bit less daunting. "Wine That Loves" is an innovative concept: wines that are designed to pair with the foods Americans enjoy most often and to reflect American tastes. The labels are designed to catch your eye with funky depictions of what, exactly, that particular bottle of wine loves. The following wines are currently offered:

• Wine That Loves Pasta with Tomato Sauce™
• Wine That Loves Roasted Chicken™
• Wine That Loves Pizza™
• Wine That Loves Grilled Steak™
• Wine That Loves Grilled Salmon™

According to the press release on PR Web:

"Our wines - currently matched with pasta, pizza, roasted chicken, grilled steak, and soon grilled salmon are sommelier paired to enhance the foods American's eat most often," Gardner said. Sommelier Ralph Hersom, formerly of Le Cirque 2000, is Wine Director of the company.

Hersom makes the point that, "the pleasure that comes from pairing wine and food correctly is an amazingly wonderful experience, and it shouldn't be as difficult to achieve as it is right now. We want as many people as possible to be able to enjoy this experience all of the time." Gardner adds, "We worked with chefs and sophisticated food lovers to make it possible to enjoy this experience at the table every night."

I think it's a cute marketing idea and at around $12.99, the price is not unreasonable, but I couldn't find any information about the grapes used to make these wines, the vintage (if any) or the region where they were grown. I think it would be really helpful to consumers who want to learn more about food and wine pairing to know exactly what they are drinking so they can understand why certain varietals or blends "love" pizza or "love" salmon. Some might argue that the people who are going to buy this aren't concerned with those details, but I think if you want to demystify wine, then just tell people what it is.

"Wine That Loves" is available in 27 states, and you can order via their Web site: www.winethatloves.com.