partners

Mutual Duties, Rights and Liabilities of Partners in the Absence of Partnership Agreement
The duties, rights and liabilities of partners in the conduct and management of the affairs of the partnership are contained in its partnership deed. However, if on any point, the deed is silent, then the relevant rule of the Partnership Act, 1932, will apply.

In the absence of a written partnership agreement, the mutual rights and duties of partners shall be governed by the Partnership Act which isas follows.


General Duties of Partners
Partnership Act describes the general duties of partners as under:

“Partners are bound to carry on the business of the firm to the greatest common advantage, to be just and faithful’ to each other and to render the true accounts and full information of alt things affecting the firm to any partner or his legal representative”.

All the duties of partners arise from the principle of goods faith which is to be all and end all of a partnership. These duties as described n Section 9, 10, 12 and 13 of Partnership Act are described as follows:

(a) Duties of a Partner

I. Co Advantage
Partners are bound to carry on the business of the firm to the greatest common advantage, to be just and faithful to each other and to render the true accounts and full information of all the things affecting in the firm any partner or his legal representative.

2. Indemnity
partner shall compensate the firm for any loss caused to it by his fraud in the conduct of the business of the firm.

3. Loss Caused by Willful Neglect
The Act provides that a partner shall indemnify the firm for any loss caused to it by his willful neglect in the conduct of the business of the firm.

4. Due Diligence
Every partner shall attend honestly and carefully to his duties in the conduct of business.

5. Provision of Information
is the duty of the partners to give full information about the affairs of the firm to one another.

(b) Rights of a Partner
According to Section 12 and 13 of the Partnership Act, the rights of a partner are as follows:-

1. Right to Take Part in The Management
A partner has a right to take part in the management of a business subject to the agreement.

2. Expression of Opinion
A partner has a right to express his opinion before the matter is decided, but no. change may be made in the nature of a business without the consent of all the partners.

3. Inspection of Books
A partner has a right to inspect and copy any of the books of the firm.

4. Right to Be Indemnified
A partner has the right to be compensated by the firm in respect of expenses incurred by him or any losses suffered by h in the conduct of his business.

5. Right to Continue
partner has the right to continue in the business unless he is expelled according to the provisions of Deed and in good faith.

6. Use of Property
The partner has the right to see and ensure that the property of the firm is held and used exclusively for the purpose of the business.

7. Sharing of Profit/Loss
Every partner shall have an equal share in profits/loss in a business, unless otherwise mentioned in partnership deed.

8. Interest on Capital
A partner is entitled to receive interest at the rate of 6% per annum on the excess money supplied over his capital.

9. Right to Retire
A partner has the right to retire according to the provisions of agreement or with the consent of the other partners.

(c) Liabilities of a Partner
According to Section 13(c) of the Partnership Mt subject to contract between the partners, the obligations of a partner are as follows.

1. Joint Liability
Since every partner is the agent of the firm for the purpose of carrying on the business, he is, therefore, jointly and separately liable for all business debts of the firm.

2. Liability of a New Partner
A new partner cannot be held responsible for the loss or claim the share of profit before his date of admission.

3. Property of The Deceased
The property of the deceased cannot be held liable for any obligation incurred by the firm after his death.

4. Liability of Retiring Partner
retiring partner is liable for the debts of the firm incurred before the date of his retirement.

5. Competitive Business
A partner cannot engage h in any business in competition with the business of the firm. If he does so, he is liable to surrender the profits to the firm of which he is a partner.

6. No Private Use of Property
A partner cannot use the property of the firm or its goodwill for his private gains, if he does so he is liable to surrender the profits so earned to the firm.

While many people have concluded that it is impossible to make money on the Internet, poker affiliate partners will tell them that this is not true. The poker affiliate partners are those individuals and businesses that have registered with a top rated poker room and get paid to refer players to the poker site. The registration process is quick and easy, and best of all, free. There is never any financial risk at all when someone becomes an affiliate with a poker room and there is a real possibility of generating a nice extra income.

Many poker affiliate partners have found that this is the quickest and easiest way to make money online and much of the work is actually done for them. A poker room wants its poker affiliate partners to be successful so it supplies all of the training needed, and all of the tools needed for success. The training doesn’t take very long and the tools are simple and easy to use. The affiliate receives a variety of banner ads to put on websites and text ads to include in e-mails. Each of these ads contains a link to the poker room.

When someone uses those links to sign up and begin gambling at the poker site the poker affiliate partners start getting commissions. These commissions are generous and paid on a regular basis. In addition, they continue to accrue every time the referrals return to the site and play live poker for money. What could be easier? If you’re one of the skeptics who has given up on the money making potential o the Internet, go to a poker room and give it another try.

There is a growing group of people making extra income from the Internet by becoming affiliate poker partners. With Internet poker rooms flourishing they are looking for new ways to attract players to their websites. One of these ways is to sign up affiliate poker partners. Affiliates with these sites are provided with the opportunity to earn commissions when they refer people to the site whom ultimately join and play live poker.

The affiliate poker partners don’t pay any fees to become an affiliate and much of the work is done for them. There are a number of different tools provided by the poker room to help affiliate poker partners make money. These include a wide variety of banner ads for websites as well as text ads to be included in e-mails sent out by affiliates. Anyone who sees one of these ads and is interested just clicks on the ad and is instantly taken to the poker room website. There they can sign up to play real poker either at individual tables or in tournaments. The affiliates who referred these people have a chance to make money every time they play.

Of course affiliate poker partners want to join with poker rooms that have a high retention rate of players. The best poker rooms offer numerous incentives to players to make sure they stay happy and keep playing. These include offering a variety of different games to choose from as well as special prizes and bonuses. Great 24 hour a day customer service is also provided. What does that mean for you? If you affiliate with one of these top rated sites you can generate a regular income for yourself with very little effort. Check it out; you won’t be sorry you did.

Web insurance marketing, similar to other businesses online has gained popularity over the years among insurance agents and up to now, even those who are aspiring to become insurance agents. The good thing about using the web for insurance marketing and for getting insurance leads is that it creates an instant connection with insurance clients. Not only can it establish an instant bond with the clients, insurance agents also get an advantage in discussing plans and marketing strategies with fellow business partners.

An insurance agent can become good in any areas of insurance perks and problems but it s always most desirable when one is trusted by countless of other business owners working related to insurance as well. Simply, we refer these other business owners as an insurance agent s business partners. When you are out there, introducing your insurance marketing strategy to business owners, you are working to gain the trust of these people which could be quite difficult at the beginning. But if you continue to show your worthiness of gaining their trust and following it up with your knack of dealing with both partners and clients, it wouldn t be so hard for these people to work with you.

Business partners for insurance business are important too. Even when leads are simply most vital in becoming a renowned insurance agent, business partners make it easy and fast in helping you promote and SELL your insurance products and services. But before you discuss this matter with them, be sure that from the very beginning, you are able to establish and maintain constant communication with them.

Communication is very important especially when you are two individuals working from different points of the country (or the globe). Before starting on anything with your partner, discuss the benefits that they are able to gain out of your partnership. By doing this first thing, your soon-to-be partners will feel that you are true to your intentions.

Business partners are good for insurance business online in general because you can ask for opinions from them regarding marketing and more. And when they like you, you ll be promoted and become their word of our mouth to their very own customers and possibly even to their own business partners.

Nowadays, several marketers are choosing third party channels to advertise and sell their products and services, but forget to integrate essential resources and structure around building, expanding, managing, and executing third party channel strategy. Marketers assume by outsourcing sales to third party channels, their job finishes. But this is not true. They need to invest in, by equipping channel partners with the required infrastructure, training, support, etc. to make their campaigns a success.
In current scenario, the best practices for channel development, channel management and business development requires a proactive, targeted, organized approach to manage resellers and enterprises, which are working as channel partners for the services you are providing.
Earlier companies signed up for strategic partnerships, but this method couldn't fetch desired results, moreover took huge time, resources and money. So, marketers opted for channel development and business development strategies to execute their businesses.
Constructing a system of services, support, lead generation, training, field sales, partnering, and marketing for your channel partners is essential. The enterprises are now providing >channel marketing portals, where they can allot collateral and work in a distributed model with CRM. This way you can share leads, track leads and ensure that whole process of partnering is automated with the channel partners.
This process of constructing and managing an effective third party distribution channel network is one of pruning and tuning, keeping a consistent track on the other enterprises performance. Analysis of your competitors products will help you learn several new things that can aid in promoting your business. Working with channel partners is very much similar to working with your sales team.
Most of the organizations neglect their duties towards selling of their products, after hiring resellers, which should not be done. So, if you want to see your product on the top, you should also actively participate in the selling process, even after delivering the responsibility to channel partners.

One needs affiliate partners for promoting the business in question on the web. The nature of the web-business is such that the product is on the net. It does not require physical distribution in most cases. However the product needs to be put within easy access of the intended market.

In order to grow the business on the net the organization needs partners. These partners are not like regular partners in a traditional model where they might have some stake in the business. These are partners who come together for a common revenue generating objective and may have a temporary relationship with the organization which is conducting the main business. These are called affiliate-partners. In this model the publisher or the partner is rewarded for every visitor, subscriber, customer or sale that materializes doe to the affiliate's individual effort.

Evaluating your partner

It is very important to find the right partner for one's market venture. The right affiliates that help one's business tremendously while the wrong affiliate could do irreparable damage. The reason being that the buddy may be a distinct entity for the organization working for them. However, for the end consumer for whom the business-model or arrangement has no relevance, the affiliate is as good as the main organization itself. So any mistakes by the affiliate will get attributed to the organization conducting the business. So the first thing that a prospective business buddy must possess is integrity.

If the affiliate has integrity then the mother organization's credibility itself goes up. The affiliate must have a clean record. If the affiliate has a business record that is suspect sooner or later the mud will stick to the main organization as well. The affiliate must be legally in the clear because any bad publicity about the affiliate will have a negative effect on the business. The affiliate must have a sound financial base on which he can work on. Affiliates who run short on funds in the midst of the business can bring down a perfectly sound business structure. The shortage of funds can also have a negative effect on the business itself.

Bad debts are the worst disease that can strike the health of any organization. They needs to have good infrastructure as well. Since these businesses are web based, the partner must have a good web infrastructure. In terms of quality and the level of technology it must be as good if not better than the mother organization. Any disparity in the level of technology will have negative effect on the technology structure of the business. There should be good communication systems between the mother organization and the affiliates. Since affiliates are often defined as an extended sales force of one's business it is imperative that there is constant and regular communication between them and the mother organization. This is absolutely vital as good communication is the lifeline to any market venture.

The quality of employees is of paramount importance as well. All these factors must be taken into consideration before entering into any agreements with any affiliates.

Facing foreclosure? Needs immediate cash for your home equity? Then, Samaritan Partners is the solution to your problem! Samaritan Partners give options to homeowners having trouble with their property mortgages, with the Real Estate Leasing; Samaritan Partners will help you solve your problem.

What is Real Estate leasing? Real Estate leasing is to rent and occupy a property, might it be a house, an apartment, condos, buildings, etc, for a definite period of time and for a certain amount of money as agreed between the lessee and the lesser. Business owners and home owners alike could avail of this real estate leasing. For some, real estate leasing is a better option for a business owner because there is a possibility that a thriving business in a local situation will be bought out a by a developer for a more considerable amount. Another situation is, if a business is thriving and in need of additional space. If a business owner owns that real estate property he would not be able to expand his business unless he transfers to another place. There are many advantages of real estate leasing. There are many reasons why a business owner prefers leasing, because leasing is more flexible in terms of expanding because if a business owner wants to expand then it’s easier to make other leasing terms than selling a building. Also, Just like any other products real estate selling often relies on timing, because sometimes the market is short of interested buyers in real estate properties. Another is that real estate business owners’ decision to sell their property is dependent on the needs of their business not with the real estate market. If a business owner is distracted in selling his property then the business would suffer. Another practical reason is if a building is owned by a business owner then he will also be responsible for maintaining that building rather than just focusing all his attention and energies for his business to grow and expand. With all this in mind, Samaritan Partners offer practical solution especially for the homeowners who prefer to have real estate leasing a solution to their financial and monetary problems.

How then can Samaritan Partners’ Real Estate Leasing solve your problems? Simple, with the Lease Buy back/ Sale Lease back program. Unlike the typical Real Estate leasing, Sale Lease back program is wherein an owner of a certain property who is experiencing cash difficulties could sell his house then enters to an agreement with the buyer to lease it back on a long term basis to keep exclusive possession and use. With this program the previous owner would be then free of his financial worries and difficulties. Retirees and elderly homeowners could also benefit from this program; in fact this leasing program is the most optimistic, realistic option. If they need immediate cash they could consider selling their property and then lease it back so that they will get that much needed cash without the worries or hassles of finding another place to live. Lease Buy back program is where an owner sells a property on a cash basis and then immediately buys it back from the buyer through a long-term mortgage agreement to avoid foreclosure. The real estate leasing is advantageous especially for those who might relocate due to a job transfer or for a better opportunity in a greener pasture. Samaritan Partners is interested in investing not only with houses but with apartment, condos, town homes, raw lands and mobile homes with land attached. If you are interested on this program just send a request for offer form to Samaritan Partners’ then they will analyze your situation clearly and will make you an offer that will greatly benefit you.

In this article, you will learn three ways of how you can find joint venture partners online.

Firstly, simply make use of search engines! All you have to do is to type in your niche into the search box and press 'enter'. You will then be able to find out which sites have the most powerful online presence. What do you do next?

Simple: contact the site owners and ask if they would be interested in setting up a joint venture with you! Be on the lookout for authority blogs. Owners of blogs are usually more community-oriented and friendly, and thus more receptive to joint venture requests.

Secondly, we have forums.Just do a search on the search engines for 'your niche + forums' to find forums that discuss topics on products you have. When you see what people are looking for and what problems they are having with the products they are using, you get a better knowledge of the market you are in. In most forums, there are usually a few very active individuals with hundreds of posts.

These are usually the people who have a lot of influential power in the market. I'm sure you know what to do from this point!

Lastly, make use of communities and groups. Simply go to groups.google.com or groups.yahoo.com to find communities related to your market. Here, not only can you find influential site owners and bloggers, you can also easily establish your own credibility and have people come knocking on your doors for joint venture requests. A truly win-win situation!

With so many ways of finding joint venture partners online, you no longer have an excuse. So get moving!

Are you going to marry to your best friend? Well, there are so many people who have married their best friends. Some are satisfied because they have found their soul mate in their friend, with whom they share such a comfortable level. While, others feel that there is nothing much to explore in your friend, because you already know him/her so well. And this is what makes married life little boring. Thus, they are of the opinion that it is more exciting to find your best friend in your life partner.

Read further to explore as to how is the experience of marrying your best friend

Looking at the positive side, friends share a great mutual understanding and comfort level. They don't really have to go through the stage, where there is initial inelegance. They both know each other's likes and dislikes. Their wavelengths match and this is what makes them spend great time when they are together.

But the negative side of marrying your best friend lies in the fact that the couple sometimes starts taking each other for granted. Some couples feel that the dating and falling in love part are missing.

The special treatment that lovers give to each other is left out.

Sometimes it appears that not much of adjustments are required, when two people who know each other so well tie their knots.

But reality is the other way round. In fact, some people say that after marriage adjustment becomes more difficult because the couple is not ready to accept the changes in their partners. This gives rise to arguments and fights.

Well, everything has its own pros and cons and the same holds true in case of marriage between best friends too. Life is very unpredictable and nothing can be clearly said about anything in life, especially about human feelings. Marriage demands compromises, adjustment, sacrifice and abundant love. So, make a sincere effort to give these things to your marriage and the spark of your married life will always be alive. There is a constant need to nurture the romantic relationship, then it doesn't make a difference whether you found a partner in your friend or friend in your partner.

Hair loss in the animal kingdom can be considered a point of pride. In some primate groups hair loss signifies status and maturity to the group. Female Gorillas have been seen to favour the member of the social group that has the largest forehead as a result of hair loss and as a result many male gorillas have been seen to encourage hair loss by rubbing their foreheads against abrasive surfaces. This trend seems to correlate with responses to baldness from humans.

One study that was conducted revealed that humans saw bald men as older than men with a full head of hair. Bald men and bearded men were considered more aggressive and as a result were considered better sexual partners but were also considered to have less social maturity. The report concluded that bald men could represent enhanced social status with a reduced physical threat and as a result they are more likely to secure reproductive partners.

The social response to baldness is extremely varied between men and women. Baldness in men is widely accepted but because of its rarity baldness in women causes a great deal of anxiety. Many women celebrities have opted to shave their heads and baldness has become the preferred choices for some women. Singers Sinead O'Conner, Britney Spears and Meshell Ndegeocello have all opted to shave their heads.

Many celebrities have also lost their hair due to chemotherapy and other treatments. Kylie and Gail Porter are other women that have famously become bald and used their celebrity to try and reduced the stigma attached to female baldness.

Baldness is surrounded by many myths and old wives tales and it can be difficult to differentiate between the fact and fiction. The most common folklore is that bald men are more virile than men with a full complement of hair. This idea has not been fully endorsed by scientists but neither has it been disproved. Scientists agree that baldness is strongly related to the levels of testosterone and DHT in the person. Bald men are therefore more likely to have higher levels of testosterone and as the theory follows that they therefore have a greater sex drive. However sex drive is determined by a great deal of factors.

Another commonly held belief is that frequent masturbation can cause baldness. Scientists believe that frequent ejaculation can cause a raised or lowered level of plasma testosterone but there is little credible evidence to suggest that this results in baldness. The belief that sexual activity has an effect on the likelihood of becoming bald is viewed with scepticism.

Many believe that sexual frustration can cause baldness. The truth is that stress can be a contributing factor in hair loss and because sex is a recognised method of reducing stress lack of it can result in higher levels of hair loss. Stress related baldness only occurs in genetically susceptible people. The military have conducted tests into the effect of sleep deprivation and have found that it is unlikely to raise the levels of DHT (which causes male pattern baldness). Therefore lack of sleep is not likely to affect the likelihood of becoming bald.

Before describing the various marital adjustments that will have to be made by both partners, therefore, it is essential that the partners themselves realize that they differ not only biologically but also psychologically. What God has made distinct, let no man confuse.

Philosophers down through the centuries have pointed out the complementary differences of men and women.

Man... has initiative, power and origin. Woman has intuition, response, acceptance, submission and cooperation. Man lives more in the external world... it is his mission to rule over it and subject it. Woman lives more in the internal world.... Man is more interested in the outer world; woman in the inner world. Man talks about things; woman more about persons. Man fashions the products of the earth; woman fashions life.... Man makes sacrifices for things which are in the future and which are abstract; woman... is more inclined to make sacrifices for persons and for that which is immediate.

Because more objective, man is inclined to give reasons for what he loves and what he does; woman, being more subjective... is more inclined to love just for love's sake. Man's reasons for loving are because of the qualities and attributes of the beloved. Man builds, invents, conquers; woman tends, devotes, interiorize. The man gives; the woman is a gift.

According to Dr. Alphonse Clemens, director of the Marriage Counseling Center of the Catholic University of America, there are some very differing traits of men and women in our culture that should be considered. Without such knowledge marital adjustment is extremely difficult, if not impossible. The various traits of men and women are as follows:

Men

Men prefer generalities. Men are more objective. Men tend to be stern. Men tend to be forceful. Men prefer essentials. Men are more passionate. Men are more materialistic. From comparing these differences it can be said that ideally every woman possesses the psychological qualities for motherhood: a great capacity for generous and unselfish love, a loving attention to details, a strong intuitive sense, tenderness, patience, long-suffering; while every man manifests the qualities required of fatherhood, namely: strength, clear and logical thought, wisdom to command, resolute and determined will, courage. In practical living, however, it is important to remember that few "pure" types of the masculine and feminine traits can be found. It is perhaps more accurate to say that the perfect human being is a composite of both. There are times when a man should know how to be tender, meek, sympathetic, patient, and understanding. And he does not become less a man for so doing. No man is "just like a man."

The same holds true for a woman. No woman is just another member of her mysterious sex. She has personal feminine characteristics similar to those of her sisters, but nevertheless quite different. At times she may and must display some very definite masculine traits.

Marriage, a Discord or Symphony in Relationships

Getting married is one thing, establishing a happy home quite another. A Christian home is not an outright gift of God; it must be built up by the contracting parties themselves, upon the fixed principles of the law of God. No matter how well matched the newlyweds may seem to be, no matter how well they think they know and understand each other, there will be great need for mutual adjustments in every phase of married life. This requires a great amount of sacrifice. The priest reminds the couple of this at the marriage ceremony. "Sacrifice is usually difficult and irksome. Only love can make it easy; and perfect love can make

it a joy. We are willing to give in proportion as we love. And when love is perfect, the sacrifice is complete."

Making marriage a symphony of good living takes time. It is not achieved overnight. It sometimes takes 25 hours a day, as newlyweds are soon to discover, because some days are very long. This adjustment to living harmoniously with one another is best made alone, and by the newlyweds themselves. To paraphrase Sacred Scripture, it is good for them to be alone during this period. If they are forced to live with in-laws, there is usually a serious hazard to peace and happiness. Doting parents do the young couple no great favor in offering them an upstairs apartment. It is almost axiomatic that newlyweds do better when away from the prying eyes and free advice of parents or other in-laws.

This is no reflection against in-laws. They may be well intentioned, but studies show that God's command to man to leave father and mother and cleave to his wife is still the best.

Little Things Mean a Lot

The first important duty of newlyweds is to get acquainted. Living under the same roof gives them their first real opportunity to do this. If they are unwilling to make the concessions that are necessary to bring harmony between two dissimilar natures, there is very little chance of success. The emotionally immature person is fundamentally selfish, but unselfishness is a key habit in seeking happiness. Differences will occur, and both partners must make a high resolve to sink their differences. In every case it takes intelligence, character, and time to become an excellent husband or wife. Fortunately nature defers the advent of a child, and in ordinary cases nine to twelve months pass before newlyweds are permitted to become fathers and mothers. This gives time for the mutual adjustments which must be made. Not that adjustments and the need for virtue are exclusively marital characteristics. In every human relationship there must be a harmonious give-and-take between individuals; each must adapt to the other. The same characteristics which make a good child, a good parent, a good employee, a good employer, or a good neighbor will make him or her a good husband or wife.

The big problem in the early days, months, and even years of married life is adjustment. The word "adjustment" comes from two Latin words ad and juste which mean "justice toward." Adjustment, therefore, means full willingness to recognize, accept, and promote the entire personality of one's spouse so that both will be able to bear the burdens and responsibilities of married life. Adjustment also has reference to the couple's acceptance of God's plan for marriage. There is no room for selfishness in His plan. That is why the best marital adjustments are those that are made by unselfish, generous people. Where the "unselfish spirit of perfect sacrifice guides their every action," a married couple is assured of success.

We have been discussing about the relationship between Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click advertising. There are normal notions among the public that their SEO work will be undermined just because they are not into PPC. The previous discussions from our side also would have given you the input about how PPC can precede SEO and the results. It is high time we start looking at the mutual benefits of PPC and SEO. Search Engine Optimization can mutually go with PPC in the following ways. Go on to read the mutual hands from SEO.

Understand the vitality of PPC in terms of SEO. How can Pay Per Click can help SEO? The knowledge on the history of PPC data will give the excellent database on the keywords. Authors term it as keyword bank from which the SEO professionals can learn quite a lot. Research treasures on keywords can be got in that way which is the obvious help for the Search Engine Optimization. Not just this, testing the keywords can be easier when it concerns PPC. SEO needs to know the response of the clients, that will encourage him or make him understand whether to waste time and energy on the site or not. PPC can give immediate results that will let the SEOs know the worth of their work.

Also the important keywords can be learnt with PPC. The keywords that people like and the keywords that fetch customers can be visualized with PPC, this obviously helps the SEO process. But certain care has to be taken when this factor is involved because the search engine might like the creative advertisement but not the site when it comes to ranking. When PPC helps SEO, it is essential to have the demarcation set right. With PPC, links can be got in good numbers. Though the search engines have separate algorithms for paid search and natural search, PPC helps SEO to a greater extent.

In the other hand, how will optimization help this advertisement model? Search Engine Optimization and resultant Quality Score Helps PPC. The quality score in terms of Google depends on the quality of the landing page, the history of the site and all the relevant factors. It is very well known that the quality of the landing page, the history of the site, the contents of the site, performance etc depends on the Search Engine Optimization that you render. Thus it helps the PPC in various ways. Quality Score and the quality of the landing page are the main factors that help PPC to get better. Thus SEO indirectly helps the paid advertising model.

If PPC and SEO are made to be seated on the either sides of the see-saw, SEO may go higher when it comes to sustainability and PPC in terms of the obvious results. Both will be the best when they are served together. PPC and SEO are mutual partners and they get along each other well.

Which comes first - the food or the wine? This is a common debate at the Forster dinner table. I met my husband, Chef Michael Forster, at a food and wine pairing class eight years ago and we have been discussing the topic ever since. When we go out to dinner, I like to first select the wine and then pick an entrée that works with my favorite wine. Michael instead thinks the food should come first and then the wine should be selected that enhances the dish. Just like any great relationship, we have both had to learn to balance and compromise to make these dining experiences fun for both of us. Understanding the concepts used for food and wine pairing can be quite similar to understanding the dynamics of personal relationships. Use the following tips to simplify your wine and food pairing decisions. These are the keys to creating the perfect match for your next meal.

We have all heard the sayings "opposites attract," or the converse, "complementary partners make the best matches." Sound like relationship advice? Well it is, but these rules can also be used to create successful food and wine pairings. The Contrasting method uses diverse flavors to play off each other, e.g., when pairing a dry red wine with a New York strip steak, the steaks juiciness and the wines dryness counteract each other. The Complementary method matches flavors to enhance them, e.g., rich foods with rich wines or powerful foods with powerful wines. For instance, try pairing a seafood dish in a creamy sauce with a rich, buttery Chardonnay. The richness of the wine will add to that of the dish giving real "power" to the pairing.

Don t forget to match like weights. No, I am not talking about weight lifting, but rather matching the weight of the wine with the weight of the foods. Light fare with lighter bodied, more delicate wines, and fuller bodied, more intense wines with bigger foods. This is actually one of the food and wine concepts that is most intuitive. Most of us wouldn't think to order a light, fruity Pinot Grigio with a New York Strip steak, or conversely, a glass of hearty Cabernet Sauvignon with a cold seafood salad. Compare it to choosing the right shoes for an outfit; Would you pick a strappy sandal for a conservative business suit? A chunky pump for a flowing floral number? Wine is an accessory that can really enhance your dining experience!

Understanding the specific wine and flavor reactions that can occur will help in experimenting and creating your own perfect partners. Here are some key concepts:

*Salt lowers the perceived acid in wine. Acid in wine is that tangy or sour sensation you get on your tongue. Imagine biting a lemon that's acid. Salty foods will need higher acid wines. Try tasting a pinch of salt with both a crisp, high acid Sauvignon Blanc and a mellow, lower acid Chardonnay. Notice how each change in the presence of the salt. The acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc will soften but the Chardonnay will most likely end up losing most, if not all of its flavor.

*Tannins in red wines are softened by animal fats in things like meat, cheese, and butter. Tannins, a naturally astringent substances found in grape skins, are also found in some foods like walnuts. Tannins are perceived in our mouths as a sense of dryness. Highly tannic wines can make you feel like you have instant cottonmouth. Try eating a bunch of walnuts or red grapes you ll end up getting the same sensation. Wines with firmer tannins are a natural pairing with fattier dishes likes red meats, cheeses or stews. Try a Cabernet Sauvignon that has firm tannins with a bite of steak and notice how it softens.

*Sweet wines tone down spicy foods whereas high alcohol dry wines will intensify the heat of spices. Try hot sauce with Moscato d'Asti (a sweet sparkler from Italy) or a slightly sweet Vouvray (a Chenin Blanc from France). Then try the same sauce with an oaky Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon. The first two wines will tone down the heat whereas the last two will make the food taste even spicier.

*High acid wines with high acid foods will create a neutralizing effect rather than intensifying the sourness. Try a Sauvignon Blanc with goat cheese. Separately each is quite acidic, but as a couple they are fabulous!

What do you do if you want to order one wine to make everyone happy? Often, we are out with friends and ordering totally different food, but we want to share a bottle of wine. There are two grapes that are considered to be "universal" (meaning they can stand up to most food choices). These are dry Riesling and Pinot Noir. They both have the right combination of fruit and acid to complement a wide variety of cuisine.

Remember that the best food and wine pairing is the one YOU like best . . . forget charts, rules, or offending the sommelier. Just like you might not like the men your Mom wanted to set you up with, you might not like the wine suggested by your server or sommelier. So, how do you learn what you like? Taste, taste and taste some more. Consider ordering a few different glasses with each course or experimenting at home to see what you like. You ll notice with a little practice, picking the perfect partner for any meal will come naturally!

©Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach®