The following recommendations – supported by multiple sources – will in fact add to your dining experience. Final choice should reflect any sauce or spices used in food prep; how food is cooked (fried, roasted, grilled etc.); and, of course, your personal wine preference or what you have available in your home wine inventory!
Poultry/Pork: Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. White Burgundy, Red Burgundy, White Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chianti, Rioja
Duck: Right Bank Merlot-focused Bordeaux blend, Burgundy or Pinot Noir – (options depend on sauce)
Game: Zinfandel (options also depend on sauce), Merlot, Sangiovese, Primitivo, or Syrah.
Veal: White, Rose’ or a Pinot Noir, Valpolicella or even a Zinfandel – choice depends on sauce or seasoning.
Beef / Lamb: Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Grenache, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah Bordeaux, Cotes de Rhone, Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, Supertuscan (Maremma) blends, Priorat, Rioja Reserva
Red Sauce Pasta: Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah Beaujolais Cru, Chianti, Barbera d’Alba
White Sauce Pastas: Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Grillo, Vermentino Muscadet de Sevre et Maine, White Graves, Sauternes, White Burgundy, Chablis
Salads / Vegetarian: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc Rose d’Anjou or Provence, Beaujolais Nouveau, White Entre-deux-Mers, Muscadet
Hamburgers / BBQ: Gamay, Grenache, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel Cotes de Rhone, red Chateauneuf
Spicy Foods: Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Grenache, Syrah Sauternes, and of course, a off dry Riesling
Chinese / Thai Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sparkling Wines
Sushi: Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sparkling Wines and Pinot Noir Muscadet de Sevre et Maine, White Graves, Sauternes, White Burgundy, Chablis
Seafood: if fish, the firmer the texture, a firmer wine – ex. Salmon/Swordfish, go Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. If delicate or flaky like a Branzino or Dover Sole, go with a Grillo, Vermentino, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Lobster Roll – Chardonnay, Vermentino, Grillo, Gruner Veltliner, or Spanish Verdejo Crab cakes or Ceviche – Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre Shrimp Cocktail or Fish & Chips – a dry sparkling wine Mussels typically with a white wine sauce – enjoy a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.