Wine style - Restaurant types
Wine is important to consider based on which type of restaurant you are dining in. A sushi restaurant will rarely have Barolo ;)
Below is an essential guide on which wine to order in which restaurant type. It will help you on your next trip to a restaurant.
ITALIAN restaurant - Chianti or Valpolicella if you are eating a simple dish as pizza or pasta. But if you are celebrating something special, and you have ordered a fat juicy steak, Brunello di Montalcino or Barolo is an excellent choice.
FRENCH restaurant, French cuisine is really versatile as are their wines. So try to combine local dishes with local wines.
- Muscadet with moules frites
- Sancerre with fish
- Red Burgundy with casseroles
- Aged Bordeaux with grilled meat
- Rosé Provence with summer salad
- Champagne ... well, we all know it goes with everything
SUSHI restaurant - sake would be the obvious choice. But Riesling (with few grams of sugar) or unoaked Chardonnay would do the magic too.
INDIAN restaurant - spicy food, needs a spicy wine. Gewürztraminer, preferably from Austria, would pair well. As Riesling comes in soo many different shapes and sizes, with Indian food, the best choice is a low-alcohol, off-dry one.
STEAKHOUSE restaurant - depending on the steak you choose, the restaurant would have a warm climate Cab (from Cali or Australia). Shiraz and Syrah is also a meat friendly wine, especially those from Northern Rhône (imagine a Crozes-Hermitage with a nice medium done steak, njam njam njam), or from Australia if you a pepper steak type.
CHINESE restaurant - would probably not have a big wine selection, but they are quite better on beer. Riesling and Gewürztraminer are friendly with Chinese food. Some light reds with a hint of spiciness can do fine, too - Pinot Noir from New Zealand.
THAI restaurant - Thai cuisine can have a lot of citrusy flavors like lemongrass or herbal ones. Sauvignon Blanc is familiar with both of those, and it will complement them just fine. Riesling from Australia can be aromatic and pair well with the more "sweet" dishes. Pinot Blanc from Alsace can do just fine with fruit-inspired dishes.
TAPAS bar - well, there are so many different flavors and dishes to choose from, reflecting on the wine choice. Dry rosé with anything that is not spicy. Rioja Reserva with anything grilled. Pink prosecco with anything fruit-inspired. Pinot or Merlot from South Africa with grilled vegetables.
SEAFOOD restaurant - mussels with Chablis or Muscadet sur lie. Oysters with Champagne. But if you are eating the fancy dish - oaked Cali Chardonnay is very friendly with lobster; Sauvignon Blanc is a friend with the lighter fish dishes. If you are having something grilled, Barbera D'Alba is just fine.
FUSION restaurant - here you have the chance to try the strange with the stranger.
As always, have a WINEderful day! :)