By Tara Roberts

One of the great pleasures of vacationing is the luxury of dining out in resort restaurants. It is a time to feel rich and experience culinary masterpieces. The choice of filet or prime rib, or salmon versus lobster is not so challenging. Yet, when it comes to selecting a dinner beverage, do you dare to be bold, to be adventurous, or do you take the plebeian way out and simply follow the passé rule of “white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat”?

John Morris, CSW, Society of Wine Educators and wine consultant with Chan’s Wine World in Destin, recommends you experiment with your wine choices. Try different wines with different meals; find a food pairing you like regardless of the “rules.”

“The rule of thumb is ‘there is no rule’,” Morris said. “Wine is only a beverage – drink whatever pleases you!”

While daring to break away from the comfort of the age-old standard, there are some helpful hints to selecting which wine to try. First, be familiar with basic wine terminology:

• Dry – refers to no perceptible presence of sugar
• Sweet – refers to detectable sugar
• Crisp – usually high acidity; an important component especially in white wines
• Tannic – tartness associated with red wines; occurs naturally in grape skins and seeds
• Oaky – aroma or taste quality of a wine aged in an oak barrel; should carry a slight vanilla scent
• Full-bodied/light-bodied – refers to the viscosity or richness of a wine

When describing body styles of a wine, Morris suggests thinking of milk.

“Skim is light, whole is medium and heavy cream is full-bodied,” he explained. “Body weight as richness is usually a function of alcohol levels.”

Next, remember that just as with luxury cars, you get what you pay for with wines as well. However, there are some remarkable mid-priced wines that can offer luxury along with value – think Lexus.

“People often ask if I can really tell the difference between an expensive wine and an inexpensive wine,” Morris said. “Yes, if you taste the two side by side you would too. Value is another matter. I look for wines with good price-to-quality ratio.”

Morris recommends these wines, each under $20 a bottle:

Whites

• Riesling – Chateau Ste Michelle “Eroica” and Columbia Valley
• Sauvignon Blanc – Kim Crawford and Marlborough (both from New Zealand)
• Chardonnay – Hartford and Sonoma Coast

Reds

• Pinot Noir – Castle Rock and Carneros
• Merlot – Monticello and Napa
• Cabernet Sauvignon – Jackson Triggs and Okanagan Valley (both from British Columbia)

Don’t worry if everyone in your party is dining on a different entrée, there are wines that pair well with a variety of foods. Morris recommends either a dry rosé, such as Domaine Tempier, from France’s Bandol region, or a red wine like pinot noir. Pinot noir pairs well with roast beef as well as heavier seafood such as salmon and swordfish, and dark meat fowl like duck or pheasant.

Once your selection is made you may be given the bottle or cork to examine, and even a small taste of wine. There is a specific purpose for this and not just for you to decide if you like the wine. The wine steward is offering you the opportunity to check the condition of the wine. Is it the right vintage, the right region or vineyard?

Does it smell and taste like it should?  Wines should have fruity or spicy aromas such as apples, cherries, vanilla or cinnamon.

When given the glass you should also smell the wine to determine if the bottle has been “corked.” Natural corks can sometimes be tainted with a fungus that can contaminate the wine. While not harmful to humans, it will make the wine taste sour.

“Most people are not aware of this fault and simply think they will never order that wine again,” Morris said, adding you should return the wine if it smells like “wet cardboard or a musty basement.”

Morris is an advocate of screw caps just for this reason. He pointed out that about one in every 20 bottles of wine will be “corked.” Synthetic corks, which are becoming increasingly popular, are also questionable due to the uncertainty of what chemical aromas can leach into the wine.

“Forget the romance and ceremony, go for function, go for screw caps,” he said.

When in doubt, don’t be afraid to simply ask. Most fine restaurants have a sommelier, or wine steward who is trained to help customers with their dinner selections. Don’t worry about looking like you don’t know what to do. It is better to ask than to order something that does not compliment your meal.

Have fun and remember it is okay to break the rules.