A Beer Guy's Guide to Wine

Don’t know a Kendall-Jackson from a Fat Bastard? Here’s a handy guide to picking the best wine for any meal.

If you’ve ever looked over a restaurant wine list or surveyed an aisle of bottles at the grocery store, you know that choosing the right wine can be a daunting task. Even if you’ve tried your share of whites, reds, and sparklings, there’s always a bunch of bottles you’ve never seen with exotic names that are tough to pronounce.

No doubt, becoming a world-class wine expert can be a lifelong pursuit. But that doesn’t mean you have to throw up your hands and grab a six-pack. You may find yourself in need of a little wine knowledge for a date, business dinner, or party at a friend’s place. By keeping a few basics in mind, you can choose a wine appropriate for any occasion.

The first step in warming up to wine is to ditch the attitude that because you don’t know anything about it, you never will. If you’ve never had a wine you liked, keep tasting. There’s a wine for everyone,  and once you find a couple of bottles you like, chances are your friends and family will like them, too.

Keep notes about wines you liked, why you liked them, if they tasted especially good with certain foods, and where you bought or tasted them. If you had a tasty wine at a dinner party, for example, and you noted it, then you might just see it on a restaurant wine list when you’re on the spot to order a bottle. Good wine isn’t necessarily expensive, and spending a lot doesn’t guarantee that you—or your dinner guests—will find it tasty. There are tons of great wines that won’t break the bank.

Pairing good wine with the right meal is a big part of enjoying and understanding wine, and conventional wisdom holds that you should pair reds with red meat, and whites with seafood, turkey, and other white meats.

While the red-red, white-white philosophy is a good start, it’s just the beginning; there are some 5,000 grape varieties that are as varied as the vast array of foods available at the grocery. Whether white, red, or somewhere in between (like rosé), wines offer a broad range of sweet, dry, fruity, tart and even smoky tastes that can either complement or clash with certain foods.

For your drinking pleasure—and peace of mind—pairing the following wines and foods tend to be a safe bet:

• Spicy, hot foods like certain ethnic dishes: an intensely fruity and slightly sweet Riesling cuts through the spice and heat.

• Grilled steaks: a spicy, smoky Cabernet Sauvignon or an equally hearty red like an Italian Primitivo stand up well to grilled beef.

• Pizza, hamburgers, and spaghetti with tomato sauce: a drier, yet fruity red like Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, or Syrah are good complements.

• Cheeses: orange cheeses like cheddar or Colby are great with drier, heartier reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or a peppery Zinfandel; lighter, milder cheese like brie or Swiss goes well with the smooth fruit flavors of a Chardonnay.

• Salads: light, tart salads pair well with the fresh citrus and crisp overtones of a Sauvignon Blanc.

• Seafood: lighter seafood without a heavy sauce goes well with lighter whites like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. A heavier cream sauce goes great with a Chardonnay aged in oak barrels that exudes vanilla and fruit overtones like apple and pear.

• Turkey:  a softer, subtle red like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais pairs well with a holiday bird; many people also like their turkey with the light strawberry hints of a rosé or a clean, fresh white like Pinot Grigio.

• Fruit: a picnic with lots of fresh fruit begs for a lighter, sweeter wine like a peachy Viognier.

• Egg dishes: invited to a brunch? Bring a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine and you’ll keep the egg of your face.

• Barbecue: wines that are both fruity and spicy like a Petite Syrah or Zinfandel won’t get lost in all that spice and smoke from the barbecue.

When all else fails, be a real man, and ask for help. There’s no sense in fronting that you know it all. Many restaurant menus now include wine and food pairing suggestions, and your waiter probably isn’t out to embarrass you. And you know the wine shop guy is just loaded with grape smarts. One thing about wine drinkers—they love to talk wine.