WINE:
French wines, Italian wines and California wines are featured along with regional selections. While some might assume different types of wine are segregated merely into reds and whites, this is an oversimplification. While red wines and white wines have their differences, it is the variety of wine within each group that reveals something about its taste. Although bottles of wine range anywhere from five dollars to thousands of dollars it is not necessary to spend a fortune for good wine.

Generally speaking, the types of wine that go well with seafood, chicken, turkey, Chinese food and sometimes pork, are white wines. Red wines go well with red meats such as beef, roasts and filets, lamb, duck, veal, pastas and sausages. However, this rule is not absolute.

Some types of wine might go very well with red meat, even though they are white wines. Conversely, a particular red wine could be the perfect compliment to your seafood cuisine. Generalizations are simply guidelines developed by professionals within the wine community. Feel free to experiment with different types of wine and food combinations.

Various types of wine are made and imported from all over the world. To list them all would be an all-consuming task. However, a look at a smaller sample within the United States might be helpful. In particular, California wines have become widely known due to the state's perfect conditions for growing and harvesting wine grapes. Of the many types of wine that California produces, you'll find chardonnay, french colombard, gewurztraminer, johannisberg riesling, and sauvignon blanc among the whites. White wines range in style from bone dry to sweet and are usually not aged in wood barrels to preserve freshness and taste.

At the other end of the spectrum are red wines. Of these types of wine, California produces cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirah, pinotnoir, zinfandel and blush wines. These wines tend to be more dry and are slightly more acidic. Red wines are commonly aged in wood for acomplex, deep flavor or are produced with a light, fruity flavor. Pure grape juice being naturally clear, red wines gain their color from the skin of the grapes.

Whether red or white, there are plenty of flavorful types of wine to satisfy the desire of any palette. Try not to limit yourself to just one variety of wine even if you enjoy it. The wide world of wines is yours to explore.

BEER:
People have been drinking beer for centuries, and it has had plenty of time to evolve into many different types. All of the various flavors, body and colors of the many styles of beer generally fall under two classifications, either lager or ale. Together, these two classes of beer collectively make up thousands of different varieties of beer.

The two different categories of beer differ in the type of yeast used to brew them and the temperature at which they are brewed. Beer that is classified as lager uses special yeast that ferments best at cooler temperatures. Beer classified as ale uses another type of yeast that ferments best at warmer temperatures. Both lagers and ales contain hops, malted barley, yeast and water.

There are basically four types of beer that fall under the lager category: American style pale lager, pilsner, light lager and dark lager. Pale lager usually contains more carbonation than the other types of beer. It tends to be light in color as well as in body. The most popular brands of beer in the United States, such as Coors and Budweiser, are examples of a pale lager.

Pilsneris another type of lager that is pale in color. However, pilsners tend to have more distinct flavors and are often more bitter than American style pale lager. In the U.S., light lager beer contains less hops and barleys, which reduces the caloric content of the beer. Light beer also has a slightly lower alcohol concentration than regular beers. In Europe, a light lager is a beer that is light in color rather than calories. Dark lagers are made with roasted barley and hops, and therefore have richer flavor, a very dark color and a full-bodied taste.

The main types of beer that are referred to as ales include brown ale, porter and stout. Brown ale is usually red or copper colored rather than brown. It has a milder flavor than the other types of ale beer.

Porters are darker and more full bodied. Porters usually have a more noticeable barley flavor that is reminiscent of chocolate, along with a mild hop flavor. Stouts are the darkest type of beer, almost black in color. They are thick and taste strongly of the barley and hops that they are made from.

Although there are generally only two types of beer, several thousand unique types of beerare created through different combinations of ingredients and added flavors. Fruit, vegetables, spices and so on are added to both lagers and ales to create beer with flavors like cherry wheat and pumpkin spice, for example. The variety in these creative brews is enough to whet any palate.

LIQUOR, LIQUEURS AND SPIRITS:
The word spirits generally refers to distilled beverages low in sugars and containing at least 35% alcohol by volume. Absinthe, baijiu, brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, whisky, and traditional German schnapps are types of spirits. Distilled beverages with added flavorings and arelatively high sugar content such as Grand Marnier, Frangelico and American style schnapps are generally referred to as liqueurs. Fortified wines are created by adding a distilled beverage to a wine.The term liquor may mean spirits; spirits and liqueurs; or all alcoholic beverages, including wine, sake, beer, and mead.