When you dine at a fine dining restaurant or your favourite place to eat, a glass of wine along with it could make all the difference. Often we tend to pick a wine that we prefer rather than choosing one that goes best with our choice of meal. The wine you choose to accompany your meal could make your food taste ten times better or worse. The wines available across the globe are usually classified into nine types that range from bold red, medium red, light red, rose, rich white, light white, sweet white to sparkling and dessert wine.

Travellers holidaying in Sri Lanka have the opportunity to select from a range of hotels, restaurants to separate dining venues that serve world class wines. When looking for a Colombo city hotel that serves an extensive wine list, an option that could be considered is Cinnamon Red Colombo which introduced the lean luxury concept to Sri Lanka. If you opt to savour a dish of mushroom risotto at the restaurant an ideal choice of wine would be the rich white Chardonnay or a red light wine such as Pinot Noir Grenache. If you are on a diet or a vegetarian who would rather try out a salad containing arugula with blue cheese, a glass of light Sauvignon Blanc will make your meal a perfect.

Those looking forward to trying out a sweet white wine such as a Moscato, a spicy red curry with shrimp is a must have. Cuisines that contain chilli, pepper and shell fish would go well with a slightly acidic wine such a Riesling or Gewurtzraminer. If you are craving for a black pepper steak, the bold red Malbec or Syrah wine will make your meal a truly enjoyable experience. After a hearty meal, a perfect dessert containing fruits & strawberries can ideally be washed down with a glass of sweet white wine or if you are more of a chocolate/coffee person the wise choice is to select a dessert wine such as sherry or port. The art of choosing a perfect wine is not rocket science but simply comes down to managing the flavours.

Shehera Fioni is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Catalina Forbes. Her content is based on many thrilling escapades offered to travellers across the world.

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