How to choose the right wine

Wines as we know them are generally distinguished as either red or white wine. However, this distinction is much too simplified considering the various types of wine depending on the grapes they were made of and the location of the vineyard where they were grown.

The knowledge that wine can come in hundreds, perhaps thousands of flavors, can leave you with a feeling of dread especially when you have to order wine in restaurants. The basic rule is that there is no one perfect wine because it really depends on your own taste buds. An expensive wine that may taste perfect for one can taste horrible to another.

When ordering wine in restaurant, ask for the wine you personally prefer or have gotten familiar to the taste of. If you are the adventurous type or you really don’t have an idea which wines are good, then it is always practical to ask the help of the waiter or the restaurant staff taking your order. It is proper to surmise that the staff or waiter should have been given instructions and the basic training in wine selection by the restaurant owner or manager. But what if the waiter is just as ignorant as their customers about their wine list? What if the big decision as to which wine to order is left in your hands?

If no one on the staff is knowledgeable about wines or can’t make suggestions, ask the waiter to just come back and then ask your companions about their preferences. Ask your dining companions whether they prefer red or white wine. The most common choices would be chardonnay for white wine as this is the king of white wine, or cabernet sauvignon for red wine as this is known as the king of red wine. No other choice could be much safer.

If you are eating white meat life fish or chicken, it would be best to order white wine. If you have chosen red meat like pork or beef roast, then red wine lie Pinot Noir would be an ideal wine to order. Ordering wine by the bottle is sometimes cheaper than ordering wine by glass. There are restaurants that offer discounts to customers who order two or more bottles of wine.

Whether or not you have a limited budget, it is always wise to ask for the price of wine per bottle or per glass, if only to have a stock knowledge of their prices the next time you are tasked with the same decision to order wine for the group. If money isn’t a problem for you, then Dom Perignon would be a good choice although this wine is higher priced than the others. There are equally good wine sparklers like Iron Horse or Domaine Chandon which are priced reasonably, depending on where you are eating.

There are wines that are better when they are less than three years old. You can try ordering white wines like Pinot Blanc or French Macon are dry white wines that command good prices and can be eaten well with appetizers. Wines are best drunk when they have been properly chilled.