Poke for pupu tonight? Belay that beer. Try a light, chilled German Riesling instead. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Sommelier Brian Geiser explains that Riesling's acidity cuts through the intense, oily flavors of 'ahi and aku, but includes a hint of sweetness to balance the shoyu, onions, chilies and such. Master sommelier Chuck Furuya says that in pairing wine with a very plain fish preparation, you want something that will act like that splash of lemon many of us enjoy on seafood: a bright, acidic hit to banish "fishy" flavors.

Geiser and Furuya are among wine experts helping with the Sept. 10 seafood and wine tasting benefit for the Hawaii Lupus Foundation .

Eleven local chefs are designing seafood dishes to be paired with wines selected by local experts, including Geiser, Furuya, wine merchant Lyle Fujioka and others. (And yes, there'll be some beef — Times Super Market Sterling Choice prepared by chef D.K. Kodama — and veggies, provided by Dean Okimoto of Nalo Farms.)

Brooks Takenaka of the United Fishing Agency's fish auction is rounding up the fish for the tasting. Each chef has submitted a wish list, but the sea may have other ideas. Up until mid-August, the auction had a full complement of fish, but recently catches have fallen off sharply. When we talked to Takenaka last week, he admitted to some sleepless nights. "This year, the ocean current patterns have been a little weird. We're seeing lateness in terms of some species, and in some cases the seasons have been different. But we'll have fish," he said, ending on a nervously optimistic note.

Furuya said the goal of this tasting event is to branch out into some less-understood species, and also to widen people's taste experiences.

"There's a concept in wine called terroir, a French term that describes the uniqueness or the 'somewhereness' of the wine. It's kind of like a Kula onion where there's something very, very special about the climate that makes the onion what it is," Furuya explained. "The same is true for fish; they have a certain character because of where they come from and they lend themselves to different cooking styles, depending on the fat content and other factors."

A case in point is the fish that chef George Mavrothalassitis will prepare — nairagi, or striped marlin. Takenaka said it's a versatile fish but one that's not always been fully appreciated. One problem is that some nairagi have a very low fat content and are supremely easy to overcook, quickly becoming very tough. There is, however, an orange-fleshed nairagi with a higher fat content that is oily enough to be used for carpaccio (a thin-sliced, raw preparation) or made into lox (salt-cured). Takenaka said the industry doesn't fully understand why some nairagi are oilier than others; they just know the creamy-colored fish are less fatty.

The plan for the tasting event is to pre-select a number of wines for each dish and to group these near the appropriate food stations so attendees aren't just randomly tasting wines, but considering wines that should have an affinity for the dishes.

Some people continue to live by the old, old (and outdated) rule: white with fish, red with meat.

But Geiser and Furuya say the same principles apply in all food and wine matching: Know what's in the dish. Think about the flavor profile: salty or sweet, bitter or sour, spicy or mild, fruity or musky, earthy or refined, silky and homogenized or rough-textured with lots of different flavors popping off at different times. All of these attributes have implications for the wine you choose.

Geiser is sommelier of Chef Mavro restaurant, presided over by Mavrothalassitis, a Marseilles native who was probably a fish in another life. He has had a lot of experience with finding wines that flatter fish and shellfish.

"It's more important to consider the sauces and the garnish and what else is in the dish than the main ingredient, whether it's meat or seafood. You're trying to balance the flavors and textures with the whole dish," explained Geiser.

For the dish Mavro will prepare for the event — pancetta- and shallot-crusted nairagi with cream of corn, anchovy and essence of pinot noir — Geiser is more concerned with the smoky, salty pancetta, the intense anchovies, the sweet corn and the fruity cooked-down wine than he is about the fish. Still, he doesn't want to completely overpower the fish. Among his choices: an Oregon pinot noir, an Italian chianti and a generic burgundy from France. Although it's fish, the dish needs the strength of a red, just not the full power of an oaky, high-alcohol cabernet.

In an ideal world, you'd have the kind of taste memory for wine that Geiser and Furuya do, and you'd place that side by side with your knowledge of the dish and come up with a match. Sommeliers like Geiser spend a lot of time tasting new wines and taking notes.

But if you don't get paid to study wine, you can still absorb some broad ideas for pairing wines with major cuisines.

One very simple idea: Choose a wine that's generally drunk in that country — it's probably a good match.

Or consider these guidelines, from Furuya: