How to select off a restaurant wine list One can go several routes. One can choose to preference the food over the wine and choose a very light wine (in case the wine list is mediocre at best) or the wine over the food and choose a heavy wine (in case the food is not too good). The other most preferred option it to try to enhance the food by choosing a complimentary wine. A food complimenting wine should have the following characteristics: low alcohol medium body high acidity fine fruit underlines with some residual sweetness little to no oak grape varieties that often suit this profile are: whites: Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc reds: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Barbera Vintages are not that much of an issue, since in most cases one does not have a choice and most wines on a restaurant wine list are not the big collector wines anyway. Within the regular pricerange of a restaurant, most of the wines of good wineries are consistent good wines over vintages. If you want to choose carefully, first know the producer and then pay attention to the vintage. The producer is the most influential factor regarding the quality of a wine, not the vintage. In a restaurant, ask for a taste or if tastings are offered, order several wines in smaller quantities and try to figure out for yourself what tastes good to you. Some restaurants with well trained staff will offer good advice. Sometimes one has to be carefull: when the waitstaff is selling the same wine for everything it might be because of the reataurant or wholesalers pushing a certain wine and rewarding the staff with marketing dollars. Trust your own taste and keep sampling. Ultimately, the wine has to go down your throught, so you want to make sure it is what you like not what others have determined, be they wine writers, wine snobs or merely clueless arrogant wanna-knows. Any comments?