Even the most seasoned wine professionals struggle to make the correct wine choice. In the end, trial and error seems a better judge than any dogmatic law. The difficulties are increased tenfold when you must find one wine to pair with a variety of dishes.

Picture it: You are with friends at a quality restaurant, holding the wine list. Somehow it has become your responsibility to choose the bottle for the evening, but who knows what these other cats plan on ordering for dinner? One beef, another chicken, a fish and some lamb. What to do?

The old days of ordering that expensive bottle of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon are over. That wine — IF you can afford it — might work well with the rib-eye, but it would be a tidal wave over the soft, succulent cut of 'opakapaka. In an ideal world, you could simply ask what everyone was planning on eating, but this is not a perfect world. The majority of our friends want the bottle popped now, and they certainly do not want you to put pressure on their order.

Fear not, there are certain wines that work wonders with a multitude of flavors.

Pinot noir is the ringleader of this esteemed group. This light-bodied red wine often has beautiful acidity, a factor essential for multifaceted food pairing. In addition, the fruit and earthiness inherent in this grape complement modern tastes in wine. Pinot noir is a classic pairing for salmon, 'ahi and even sashimi. Yet it is still dynamic enough to match with other seafood dishes. On the other side of the coin, pinot noir with chicken, lamb or duck — save particularly heavy preparations — has the possibility of being a home run as well. At the very least, this grape is rarely an off pairing, and its Hollywood glamour is sure to win over the wine snob of the table. The pinot noirs of the Willamette Valley in Oregon and Central Otago in New Zealand work especially well, striking a nice balance between Old World terroir and New World fruit.

After pinot noir, riesling is the grape with the most cachet to bail you out of jail. Unfortunately, it is also the most misunderstood wine among casual wine drinkers. Despite constant endorsement by sommeliers the world over, riesling still possesses the stigma of being a sweet, innocuous wine of low quality. Many bad rieslings are on the market, but the overwhelming majority available in restaurants are of the highest rank. A dry to off-dry kabinett from Germany has all the characteristics of an ideal food wine: high acidity, soft fruit and remarkable balance. The popular Hawaii Regional Cuisine is complemented perfectly with a nice Mosel-Saar-Ruwer riesling, cutting the many spices without overpowering the dish.

If pinot noir or riesling miss the bill, Italian wines are an excellent choice with food in the majority of cases. On the whole, Italy is infamous for its wines tasting better with food than on their own. Light- to medium-bodied whites from northern regions such as Trentino-Alto-Adige and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia often have the ideal balance of acidity and fruit. These wines also tend to possess flavor profiles not often encountered in more popular whites from California: almonds, perfume, mandarin and peach. The reds from Italy are even better matches for a mixed bag of cuisine. Specifically, lighter sangioveses from Tuscany hit the mark with nearly any entrée. A nice chianti classico or vino nobile di Montepulciano is impressive with ribs, certain fish, chicken and, of course, pasta.

It is important to note that these wines are not perfect in every circumstance, and nothing can substitute for a specific one-on-one pairing. Nevertheless, they sure beat throwing the proverbial dart at the wine list. Some recommendations: