Top 10 No-Fail Tips for Picking a Stellar Wine off a Wine List

By Food & Wine
Updated August 23, 2017
From grilled shrimp satay and a dry Riesling to beef tenderloin and a tannic Bordeaux, here's a handy guide to pairing excellent wines with their perfect dishes.
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Search for recent Chardonnay vintages

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Not all Chardonnays age well. Most should be drunk within three years of the vintage. Only top Chardonnays, such as the Mount Eden Vineyards Estate Chardonnay, age gracefully.

Pairing: For fatty fish or any kind of seafood in a lush sauce like this sizzling shrimp scampi, look to Chardonnay.

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Know a name or two to trust for complex regions

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For Burgundy, Louis Jadot is reliably good and widely available. Other excellent names: Louis Latour and Joseph Drouhin.

Pairing: Rich skate and mushrooms go particularly well with white Burgundies.

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Pick cava for an affordable Champagne alternative

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One top cava producer is Segura Viudas, which started producing sparkling wines at the end of the 19th century.

Pairing: This hot pot of chewy rice noodles with ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, and eggs pair especially well with a bright, fresh Spanish cava.

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Look to Southern Italy for great values

JOHN KERNICK
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Among the best values: Native Southern Italian varieties like nutty, rich Falanghina; dense, powerful Aglianico; and big, juicy Primitivo (the Italian counterpart to American Zinfandel).

Pairing: When it comes to hamburgers, any robust red wine is likely to pair well. But Bobby Flay's smoky-sweet chipotle-peanut barbecue sauce requires an intensely juicy, flavorful wine, such as a Primitivo.

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Learn a few good recent vintages for popular regions

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Among the vintages to know: 2005 in Bordeaux or 2007 in France's Southern Rhône Valley.

Pairing: These juicy steaks need an equally juicy red as a partner, albeit one with firm tannins to help cut the richness of the beef. France's Bordeaux region is a good source for wines like this.

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Look to dry Rieslings for a great all-purpose match

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Dry Rieslings are great with almost anything other than red meat. Great producers include Trimbach, Domäne Wachau and Jacob's Creek.

Pairing: A dry Australian Riesling has enough acidity to balance the sweetness of the spicy-sweet peanut sauce served with this grilled shrimp satay.

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7 of 10

Choose "grower" Champagnes

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"Grower" Champagnes, from small, independent French estates, are the latest trend in sparkling wine. Names to know: Pierre Gimonnet & Fils, Champagne Egly-Ouriet, Chartogne-Taillet Champagne, Vilmart & Cie, Guy Charlemagne.

Pairing: A rich snack like these crispy hush puppies–cornmeal dumplings–would be perfect with Champagne.

8 of 10

Search for reliable Bordeaux values

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Most Americans associate Bordeaux with the complex and very expensive wines of great châteaus such as Lafite-Rothschild. But the region has many châteaus that produce reliable values, too. Three to look for: Château Bonnet Rouge, Château Greysac, and Château Cap de Faugères.

Pairing: Meat as buttery as this beef tenderloin goes well with a tannic red Bordeaux.

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Pick "second labels" of top producers for bargains

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Two excellent second labels include Nelms Road from Washington's Woodward Canyon and Salanques from cult Spanish producer Mas Doix.

Pairing: These meaty chops deserve an equally substantial red wine as a partner; Nelms Road is a great choice from Washington state.

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Know a few high-end accessible French wines

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Many top French wines are reliably great no matter the vintage, but they're produced in minuscule amounts. Here, three stellar, findable French wines: William Fevre Chablis Montmains Premier Cru, Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge, and Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.

Pairing: Champagne like Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill goes well with salty foods like fried artichokes.

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