I finally broke open the first two bottles of a lavish 80th-birthday gift — a year’s subscription to Food and Wine magazine’s wine club. Nephew Ron went way overboard, I’m afraid, but that’s not a complaint! Thanks again, Ron and Sherry.

First, let me remind you that, for me, wine is itself a food. So just as I might not serve sauerkraut alongside a mild fish like tilapia, I wouldn’t wash them both down with chianti.

For yesterday’s patio supper for Barbara and Don and our son Erik, I’d decided on grill-roasted clam cakes presented on the half shell. These come frozen, nine to a package (one cake would be enough for me). I had 15 ounces of baby clams from Thailand so I put them in a generous amount of whole wheat short grain risotto along with chopped crisp bacon and a package of peas. Just for fun, since the risotto had turned out a bit dry, I gave it a generous shot of Thai coconut milk.

Well, I had a start on a global meal, right? It turned out that a white wine and a red one, in the shipment from Food and Wine, were also global.

Elgin Valley Vineyards 2010 Elgin Valley Sauvignon Blanc: This South African offering comes in a very dark green bottle which, so far at least, has protected the delicate pale yellow wine’s fresh, clean appearance. The wine when first opened shyly suppressed its aroma. But at the patio table it presented a clean citric aroma, heartily supported by the taste of Meyer lemons on steroids. As with Meyer lemons, there was a modestly sweet sensation. The slight sweetness disappears quickly, but the acid, just short of sharp, stays secure in the aftertaste. This is one pleasant wine, well made if not pretentious.

Presidente Marguerite 2010 “Subtil” Fleurie, 100 percent Gamay Beaujolais: A deeper-than-expected red-plum color was my first surprise, but the fruity nose indicated that this would be a good choice with a meal that some would expect to pair just with the white wine. Aromas were all stone fruit, but it was no stretch to think of something like hybrid plucot. That was, in fact, the taste but there was a surprise — brilliant acids rocketed out of a medium-weight body, a bit lighter than the rich color suggested. This Gamay complemented the risotto and clam cake beautifully.

My year with an unusual collection of global wines is going to be fascinating! –Bob Cramer,The Fearless Taster.