Flounder Fish

White · Medium · Dry

The most-planted white grape and the most chameleon-like. Crisp and steely from Chablis; rich, oaky, and tropical from California. Read the label, then match the style to the dish.

Works with Flounder Fish · Broiled Flounder Fish

White · Light · Dry

Italy's everyday white — light, lemony, neutral by design. Pleasant with anything; profound with very little. The best Friuli bottles are quietly excellent.

Works with Flounder Fish · Mild Flavored Delicate Fish (like Sole; Flounder; Snapper)

White · Light · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

Works with Flounder Fish · Mild Flavored Delicate Fish (like Sole; Flounder; Snapper)

Sparkling · Light · Dry

Méthode champenoise from the most chalk-rich corner of France — fine bubbles, brioche, lemon zest, and a finish that goes on for half a minute. The wine for anything fried, salty, or special.

Red · Medium · Dry

The blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre that fills every wine list in France for a reason — friendly, peppery, slightly rustic, made to wash down anything from grilled vegetables to lamb stew.

White · Light · Dry

The Loire's seaside white — Melon de Bourgogne grape, bone-dry, slightly briny, perfectly transparent. The platonic ideal of oyster wine.

Burgundy's everyday white — clean, lemony, unoaked Chardonnay built for weeknight drinking. Mâcon-Villages bottlings step up the seriousness.

White · Light · Dry

Umbria's classic white — blended for breezy, lemony drinkability with a touch of pear. The grocery-store version is fine; producer-bottled ones quietly improve any summer evening.

White · Medium · Dry

Alsace's everyday white — Pinot Bianco's French expression, all apple, pear, and a soft mineral finish. The reliable house-wine alternative.

White · Medium · Off-dry

Same grape as Pinot Grigio, different attitude — the Alsatian style is richer, fuller, faintly honeyed, with the structure to handle pork, smoked fish, and Asian aromatics.

White · Light · Off-dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Rosé · Light · Off-dry

California's introduction to wine for an entire generation — slightly sweet, lightly fruity, easy to like. Pair with brunch, spice, or nothing at all.