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Step 1
Decide what kind of food you will be serving with the wine. This step eliminates half your choices--red or white. Red wines go best with red and hearty meats, heavy pastas and meaty snacks. White wines go best with chicken, fish, seafood, light pastas and snacks. You can pick red or white for most cheeses, although reds usually provide better complements for milder cheeses
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Step 2
Decide if you want a dry, intense wine, or a lighter, fruity wine. Dry wines are better with serious cuisine, while lighter wines can be served with snacks and desserts. The major red wine varieties ranging from intense to light include cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, shiraz or syrah, merlot, burgundy or pinot noir and chianti. The main white varieties ranging from dry to light and fruity include sauvignon blanc, pinot blanc, chardonnay, chablis blanc, rhine, chenin blanc and white zinfandel.
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Step 3
Look for vintages or bottling years for the varieties you want. Red wines markedly improve in the bottle, so you want a vintage at least three years old if you can find it. White wines generally peak in flavor after one to two years in the bottle, so look for the youngest white vintages.
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Step 4
If you still can't decide, pick a moderately dry red wine like a merlot or burgundy that's three years old or more, or a moderately dry white wine like a chardonnay that's less than two years old.
