Sauvignon Blanc (Fume Blanc)
Medium to light-bodied and dry. Fresh-cut grass, dried hay or straw, summer herbs, vegetables such as bell peppers and green beans, sometimes melons and figs.

First courses, seafood, ethnic dishes--pastas, curries, salsas, spicy sausages, asparagus with flavored mayonnaise, vegetable dishes, luncheon salads, olive-oil based dishes, fresh tomato sauces, goat cheese, dill.

Chenin Blanc
Light to medium-bodied; normally off-dry to semisweet. Melons, pears, peaches, sweet apples.

Braised chicken, sushi and other Oriental dishes with sauces based on mixtures of soy, garlic, ginger, scallions, honey, rice vinegar; poultry; pork cooked with fruits; Indonesian curries; vegetable and fruit salads; poppy seed dressing; mild cheeses such as Teleme and Jarlsburg.

Gewurtztraminer
Light to medium body; usually semisweet, occasionally off-dry, can also be made into an intriguing dessert wine. Uniquely spicy and floral/fruity.

Spicy cuisines such as Chinese, Mexican and Indian; stuffed cabbage, mild sausages, fruit salads.

Riesling (Johannisberg Riesling, White Riesling)
Light to medium bodied; semisweet to off-dry; the classic grape for the luscious, late-harvest dessert wines. Delicately aromatic, a mix of floral and fruity scents.

Crab meat, appetizers and finger foods, prosciutto and melon, pork, foods marinated in sweet/sour marinades, salads dressed with citrusy dressings.

Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium to full-bodied, tannic and dry. Blackberry, cassis, green olive, bell pepper, dried herbs, tobacco, cedar, leather, oak.

All kinds of beef-steaks, roasts, hamburgers; lamb; pork; duck; game meats; cheeses such as fresh goat cheese, Parmesan, aged Asiago, Stilton, creamy Corgonzola; herbs such as thyme, savory, rosemary.

Merlot
Medium to full-bodied, less tannic than Cabernet, dry. Black cherry, red and ripe summer fruits, occasionally a wisp of bitter orange, Cabernet-like, but softer, fruitier. Same as for Cabernet.

Stews, braised beef, pizzas, hearty pastas.

Zinfandel
Medium to full-bodied but is made by some producers in a lighter, quaffable style; dry. Raspberries, licorice, black pepper and spice.

Hamburgers, beef, lamb, venison and game; hearty pastas such as ones with meat or sausage sauces; Cioppino; roast turkey; all sorts of stews; pizza; aged Couda; sweet paprika.

Pinot Noir
Medium to light-bodied, dry; because the grape has little naturally-occurring tannin, the wine has a silky texture and leaves a lingering freshness in the mouth. Cherries, wild cherries, pansies and violets, smoke, earth, occasionally barnyard.

Lamb, duck, turkey (the younger Pinots, served cool), game birds, Beef Bourguignon, Cog an Vin, dishes prepared with a light smattering of chiles or green salsa, wild mushrooms, barbecued pork ribs, Moroccan dishes, rabbit, semisoft and soft-ripening cheeses.

Pink Wines (Rose, White Zinfandel, Cabernet Blanc, Blush, Blanc de Noirs)
A rose is a rose is a rose. . . . These wines vary in color from white to light red, in aroma from strawberry or melon and apricot to herbal; in taste from dry to sweet. At their best (choose the most current vintage), these wines should be clean and fresh.

Wine snobs consider it heresy, but many pink wines are appropriate, and delicious, with almost any food. Mood is more important here. Any time you care more about fun than the food, drink pink! Try them with smoked foods; quiche; ham and pork; barbecued sausages; picnic foods of all kinds; Mexican and Thai cuisines.

Sparkling wines, Champagnes (fermented in the bottle)
The joy of bubbles! These wines are marked by a lively crispness, and a constant stream of bubbles which should crowd into a pretty foam collar around the glass rim.

Brut
Dry, the standard. Traditionally a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Aperitifs and first courses, salted almonds, strawberries: the fuller bodied editions will go nicely with any fish and chicken.

Blanc de, Noir
More fruity in taste than Brut though still dry. Made from Pinot Noir separated quickly from the skins.

Enjoy it as an aperitif, with lunch, for dessert, anytime!

Blanc de Blancs
All white grapes, usually Chardonnay. More delicate than Brut. If you must drink sparkling wines/champagnes with caviar, try Blanc de Blancs: otherwise drink it because you love it, which is more than reason enough.