In life, we’re always faced with a lot of choices. Of course, we want to choose only the best. From the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, to the house we want to live in, and even to the partner we want to spend the rest of our life with, we want the best from among the rest. They say that we can’t have it all, but we can certainly get the best of it all if we know how to choose.

Sometimes, though, we don’t need the best; we only need what’s right or ideal. And in terms of choosing the right wine in case you’re hosting a dinner in your house soon or you’re eating out at an upscale restaurant, there are certain things you need to know.

First of all, there are several types of wine available: sparkling, champagne, blush, and of course the reds and whites. One of the ways to help you in choosing the right wine is by knowing the basic differences of one type from another. For example, when it comes to how reds are contrasted with whites, the latter tend to be heavier than the former, although white wines are generally sweeter than the red variety.

To choose what’s right for the meal you’re serving at home or the food you order in a restaurant, the general rule of thumb for food pairing is white for fish and red for meat. However, the pairing is not only limited to that; you can also follow the rule of pairing white if you’re eating a light meal with subtle tastes. If you drink something heavy, the taste of the food you’re eating it with may disappear into the wine’s taste. If the food you’re having is quite hearty, picking a red would complement it.

Ever wondered why some wines are called ‘dry’ when all of them are liquids? Well, using the term ‘dry’ is done to contrast it from ‘sweet.’ Hence, when a wine is dry, it means it has less sugar content and therefore not sweet. Both reds and whites have their own sweet and dry varieties. In terms of food pairing, knowing whether a wine is sweet or dry will help you select what would go best with the food you’re eating (check out wine prices online).

You can also choose what wine would be best served based on its weight or alcohol content. If you don’t want to get your guests inebriated to the point of being unable to drive themselves home, serve the wine bottles that have less amount of alcohol in them.

There are other tips on how to choose the right wine for the right occasion, but in the end, it’s your own taste and your guests’ that would determine what would end up being served on the dinner table.