Red wine, with its full-bodied, robust flavor, complements most meals. Modern selections pair well with steak and burgers, as well as chicken, fish or pork. With interesting, flavorful choices, no longer does the thought of serving red wine with fish strike horror in the hearts of sommeliers worldwide. Select the proper variety to sip after dinner, or pair your choice with a hearty meal.

Vineyards around the world supply wineries with hundreds of varieties of grapes for red wine. However, the most common choices offer wine drinkers specific flavor profiles. For example, cabernet sauvignon, which comes from all over the world, includes notes of bell pepper, green olive, currant, cassis and black cherry. Merlot leans toward the lighter side with watermelon, strawberry, cherry and plum. Malbec, a blending wine, exudes flavors of chocolate, coffee, sour cherry and spice. Pinot noir offers hints of tomato leaf, pale cherry, beetroot, blackberry, plum and cola. As long as the wine tickles your palate, these and other varieties work for most meals or get-togethers.

Wine drinkers pair favorite reds with almost every meal imaginable. The most classic pairing is cabernet sauvignon wine and steak. The cab sav's bold flavor means it can stand up to adventurous sauces and spicy dishes. Replace beer with malbec wine, a laid back red that goes well with a burger. The extremely versatile pinot noir wine's high acid content lends itself to pairing well with duck, pork, chicken and mushrooms. Like pinot noir, merlot wine pairs well with most foods, including grilled meats, mushrooms, garlic and fruit.

Opportunities abound for novices to try a new variety to find just the right one. Conduct a friendly sampling party with family and friends.

Find Drizly in your city and look for liquor stores on Drizly near you as you browse for your favorite or little-known red wines.