st.helier wrote:

> So, to accompany a Cantonese seafood dish, I may look at a white wine such
> as an (unoaked) French Chablis in preference to an oaky New World
> Chardonnay.
>
> But my No 1 choice would be Sauvignon Blanc from either the Loire (Sancerre)
> or New Zealand (Marlborough).

Having just spent four days in Shanghai eating seafood banquets every
night accompanied by French red plonk rebranded for the Chinese market,
I agree in spades, milud!

>
> A Riesling which is light bodied and has a strong backbone of acidity would
> be suitable in balancing the oiliness of some fish.

My thoughts perzackly. A good QbA Riesling from the '04 vintage in
Germany would do very nicely, as would an '05 Muscadet from a quality
producer (the Rieslings being far more available, though).

>
> Red wine can sometimes work well with fish, generally the best matches being
> reds which are high in acidity, light to medium bodied and low in tannin.
>
> Pinot Noir is the first choice here, either a fairly simple Burgundy or its
> equivalent from Oregon or California.
>
> Beaujolais (not Nouveau) is a reliable source of wines whose fruity bouquet,
> light body and cleansing acidity make them worthy partners.

This would be my first choice: a decent Bojo-Villages from '04.

>
> Lighter Italian reds such as Valpolicella or Bardolino are good
> alternatives.
>
> And please, do not overlook Champagne - perfect for a wedding!

Bang on. A decent sparkling wine is about as versatile as it gets.

Mark Lipton