Help! Need some names of good wines

[Thraz]

At the risk of being contrarian: some wine matches are glorious and would be too bad to miss; however, conversely it is hard to get a wine that makes a really horrible match if you follow some simple rules. So, if all the planets align the wrong way and you end up having to make your own choice (others are lost in a business conversation or something at the time you need to order), I would suggest:

- Fish or other dish with a cream sauce: chardonnay
- Fish with no cream sauce (e.g. grilled) or other light dish: sauvignon blanc
- Steak, lamb or other flavorful meat: cabernet or syrah
- lighter meat dishes: gamay if they have it, otherwise pinot noir, merlot

Go for the American or Australian section of the wine list, ignore the French. Nothing political: it's just that US and Australian wines are named after the principal grape they are made of so you can follow the above rules. For French wines you usually have to know the labeling system to know what's in the bottle.

Enjoy.