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Restaurant Beer and Wine Selection While Dining Out

When you head to your local steak house or grill, don’t be surprised when you are offered a wine list! Taking a bit of wine with your meal is a tradition that goes back to the Greeks and Romans. While the Greeks mostly restricted themselves to white wines, the Romans who could afford it took wine at every meal, flavoring it with things like honey, spices, even chalk to enhance both the wine and their meal as a whole. The history of wine has evolved greatly since then, and today, people are still using wine to complement a good meal.

As mentioned above, the Romans were great fans of making sure that their wine went with their meals, and it is easy to see why. A good wine and meal combination will leave you with an excellent dining experience. When you select a wine to go with your meal, the right wine that will both enhance your food and be enhanced by your food. Ordering a wine that does not go with your meal can result in a bitter complement of tastes and end with both the wine and meal being lessened.

If you are ordering wine for a large group of people, check to see what everyone has ordered for food. If everyone has ordered in a similar fashion, this makes wine selection great deal more simple. If however, you find that there is too great a variety for one or two bottles of wine to satisfy everyone, suggest that everyone order by the glass. While ordering wine might seem a little confusing at first, it is really quite simple. Don’t forget that you can always ask your waiter what he recommends. Below, check out a few suggestions for beer and wine based on what type of cuisine you are enjoying.

Mexican
If you are enjoying a beef dish, try a hearty red wine like the Californian Estancia Merlot. Mexican cuisine also offers lighter fare, so try pairing it with a Sauvignon Blanc or a sweet Pinot Grigio.

Italian
Try a Sainsbury Soave Superiore, an inexpensive red wine that has a crisp citrus aftertaste that goes very well with rich pasta sauces.

French
When it comes to French wine, your choices are nearly endless! For lamb or mutton, try a red Boudreaux, while if you’re having well-spiced chicken, Beaujolais makes an excellent choice.

Steakhouses
When eating a good steak, complement it with a rich red wine, like Cabernet Sauvigon or a Garretson Aisling Syrah. These wines will bring out the flavor of the meat quite well.

Indian
While curries are usually served with beer, there are a few wines that go nicely with Indian cuisine. Try a German Riesling or a White Zinfandel wine to undercut the spice and bring out the richer flavors.

Argentinian
Ideally, when eating Argentinian food, you’ll be able to order a Malbec, the internationally recognized wine of the country, but you can also complement your meal with a light Chardonnay or a sweet Syrah.

Chinese
Chinese food covers a wide variety of cuisine, but there are few terrific pairings. Take a burgandy wine like Pinot Noire with your heavier dishes and a Chenin Blanc for lighter ones. Riesling is usually a good match for heavy Cantonese dishes.

Japanese
Japanese food can be characterized as light and delicately flavored, so it is important not to have a wine that overwhelms it. Sake (rice wine) is perfect for this; you can try sake that is flavored with fruit like pear and plum.

Irish
Food from the Emerald Isle tends to be hearty and rich, so make sure that your wine matches! Though some people will always say that Guinness goes with all things Irish, make sure you try a sweet Château Petit Roubié to finish off your meal or Cono Sur Pinot Noir to accompany the meat

If you are in a hurry, you can always just eyeball it by remember a few basic rules. For steak, a red wine like a Burgandy or a Chianti is appropriate, while fish and chicken usually call for a white wine like a Chablis or a rose wine like a Zinfandel Rose. Dessert wines are usually quite sweet to undercut the taste of pastry or fruits, so choose a port or a cream sherry.

It may seem like there’s a lot to remember, but don’t worry; when it doubt, feel free to ask your waiter!

Article Filed under: Restaurants