Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I highly recommend the book What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. They have an extensive list of pairings, and it isn't just wine but also things like beer and water!

http://www.amazon.com/What-Drink-You-Eat-Definitive/dp/0821257188

@izatryt - I've seen that wine you've mentioned; where does it come from.

And I always have white wine with pizza, no matter what my toppings are.

$20 is plenty of money to get great wines. I'm no expert, but I do love and drink wine very much. Here are my suggestions:

Pork & Poultry - light reds, like barbera d'asti, or whites with lots of fruit, like gruner veltliners or reislings, depending on how you have sauced and seasoned the meat.

Beef & Lamb - big reds: bordeaux (merlot and cabernet sauvignon,) burgundy (pinot noir,) cotes du rhone (up to 13 different grapes,) syrah/shiraz, zinfandel

Fish & Shellfish - all the whites, with their differing characteristics depending on the sweetness or brininess of the protein and the sauces: pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, reisling, gewürztraminer, verdejo, chardonnay, semillion...... Don't forget the sparkling wines, champagne, cremant de bordeaux, cava...

Vegetarian - this too will vary depending on the spices, the sauces, etc etc. For example, eggplant in tomato sauce would be great with a light italian red or a cotes du rhone, an indian veggie curry dish would be great with a really warm barbaresco, but with a primavera you would want a sauvignon blanc.

There are certain specific don'ts. Asparagus is high in sulfur and it reacts with red wine, and some people really dont like that. I dont mind it, but whites are preferable with these veggies (asparagus, artichokes.)

These are obviously really loose guidelines. Sommeliers make big bucks coming up with, sometimes extremely specific, food / wine pairings. As you learn about wines you love, you will make connections to the foods you love. It's all about experience, and in the end, the rules don't matter, it's really about what you like. But this would be a good place to start. Hope this helps! Get drinkin!

Red wines tend to give me headaches, so I tend to drink whites unless I've carefully experimented with the red in question. So I'll drink a white wine -- or beer or water or whatever -- with any meal.

If I was doing a fine meal and trying to pair a perfect wine with it, I'd ask the wine guy. And yeah, I know a wine guy. He knows way too much about wines, and will not only ask about what the meat is, but how it will be prepared, what spices will be in it. And then he will suggest several wines at different price points, and very often the one under $10 will be his favorite of the two or three he will suggest. There are some very affordable wines from lesser known wineries that are quite good.

As a general rule, I try to avoid Pinot Grigio's and Merlot's for any meal pairings. They are all too common and eliminating them will force you to expand what you would normally try.

With that in mind, $20 is plenty to spend on a good bottle of white and still leave a great selection of reds. Most whites should be enjoyed young within 2-3 years. For the majority of whites, if they are 'old and gold' it means their probably broken. Suggest you try some Italian whites such as: Gavi (recommend Gavi di Gavi) or Vernaccia (Vernaccia di San Gimignano). If you want a specific recommend, Geografico makes a Vernaccia di San Gimignano that is a great every day white for around $10-$12.

For basic pairings try to either compliment the flavors or contrast the flavors. Contrasting is easier to achieve, choose sweet wines with spicey foods, etc. The white with seafood/poultry and red with meat is an okay guideline, but it really depends on what the flavors your are cooking/eating. I've enjoyed a fantastic reasonable pinot noir with seafood at Blue Water Grill, etc. Sweet reislings or gerwurtztraminer go very well with most spicey good whether it is chicken curry or beef curry. It's better to compliment stronger flavors. A good steak au poivre will overpower most merlots/pinot noir and may demand a cabernet.

Most important, recognize that a proper food and wine pairing can only "enhance" both the wine and food, but this requires you enjoy the components individually, similar to cooking with wine you will drink. If you don't enjoy a strong cabernet or roast mutton, there really are not many pairings that will change your opinion of them.

Some people may disagree with me on this point, but I never really hears someone say, 'you know, i never did enjoy sweetbreads until i tried it with the Amarone'... Unless, you drink the entire bottle!

Lots of great suggestions here, but the sweet wines don't appeal to me, regardless of how they're paired (or pear-ed ;D). I've had Rieslings that were wonderful and others that were too sweet for words. Haven't tried Smoking Loon, but plan to look for it.

@izatryt - you're serious about that price?? I love pinot grigio and my brain could use a break, as well as my wallet! Headed to the State Store! You may be my new bestest friend. ;-D

@Perky ~ Yes! I just bought a bottle. I am visiting my brother in Doylestown and it is not on sale. $10.99 and what a yummy wine!

@lemons ~ You must not be in PA.

@BITTER ~ The only PA wine I will drink is from Sand Castle in Erwinna. It is on River Road.

If you get to New Hope, might as well cross the river and buy wine in NJ. Better selection and more competitive prices, as a general rule. That's where I grew up - my old stomping grounds!

Pork- pinot noir

Beef- Depends...if marinated steak or braised I'd look for a full bodied meritage or cabernet sauvignon. Hamburgers or steak salad/ stir fry, a merlot or lighter blend.

Lamb- cabernet franc, for sure.

Poultry- Again, this depends on how it is prepared. I almost always do a light red, like a pinot noir, w/ duck or heavier chicken dishes. For lighter poultry, go with an oaked chardonnay.

Fish- flaky white fish tend to pair well with unoaked chardonnays or pinot grigios. Basically, light, clean and refreshing whites with a lot of acidity.

Shellfish- Sauvignon blanc

Vegetarian- If spicy look for something to balance out the heat, like a semi-dry riesling. I find that dry roses also pair well with roasted and sauteed vegtables.

As for price range, don't be afraid to ask for help at your liquor store! One of the most common questions I get at work is "what do you have that's good under $____?"

I also like What To Drink With What You Eat and agree, it isn't a science, it's an art. Something fun. Keep in mind in warm weather the pinks (dry roses) go with many, many dishes.

@iz - my mom was, shall we say, frugal. And Lord, did that woman love her daily wine. She only drank Burgundy (unless somebody else was buying) and the bigger the bottle or box, the better she liked it - less chance of running out. By her 9 pm bedtime she was slurring her words pretty good, but was up & at 'em by 5 am. The family called her wine, "Her Box o' Happiness". Nobody else liked it, an added bonus for her! I might buy one in her honor.

@iz - you poor baby!!!! hope you have some relief from the pain. did they set you up with some bandages? i've got some of that paint on bandaid.

Which restaurant gets to host the family reunion?

I finally got an offer on my house. Been sitting by the phone today. If all works out, I might not be looking for a box under a bridge and cooking on a cinder block. I truly wish that was a joke. What a nightmare. Today could be a very good day. Yupsalutely! Feel better!!!!

Lots of "good" wines come in boxes, too...it's not all Franzia chablis. There are some mighty pricey and trendy wines in boxes these days. But yeah, I was half-joking about pairing Target wine with anything. Except that I do so all the time, because the shiraz/cab is kind of unassuming and pleasant and wonderfully affordable. I like a complex, exciting wine as much as the next person, but I'll stand up for the honor of the humble Target Wine Cube any day. Highly recommended for assuaging the pain of foot injuries...

Back on topic: BITTER, like everyone else here, I'm just saying $20 is plenty for good wines (with allowances made for my slummy tastes).

Me too!

Lots of great suggestions here, especially the ones about "getting out of your comfort zone" and trying new things. I have been doing this. I know virtually nothing about Italian, Spanish and South American wines. Instead of always going for my trusted Saint-Emilions, Pomerols, Tavels, Cotes du Rhones, Pouilly Fumés, Napa Valleys, etc., I am consciously deciding to try new stuff. Sometimes it's not what I'm looking for, but more often than not, I am pleasantly surprised and happy to have learned something new. And in the end, it's wine. Delicious wine :)

A couple suggestions on cheap yet totally respectable bottles: Goats Do Roam and Goat Roti, from South Africa. Very good, and about $8 per bottle...