WHITE wine with white meat and red wine with red meat is usually the rule when selecting wine. But Simon Tam does not think so.

　　For this young Australian wine master, it is the match of taste, not colour that determines what type of wine goes with certain food. He made the claim at a Portuguese wine tasting in Shanghai named "The New Wines from the Old World."

　　For most of us, the taste of wine is enchanting, but the task of choosing wine is daunting. For some people, all wines are equal, and the difference is only in colour. For the more learned, they will know about famous wine producing areas like Bordeaux, Burgundy, and the types of grapes with which the wines are made, like pinot noir, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, riesling and merlot.

　　Usually, picking a wine labeled "Appellation Bordeaux Controllee" is the easiest way not to make a mistake, but if you just stick to the more famous wine-producing regions, you will miss some great experiences from less well-known areas. And these encounters, like love affairs, you relish for a long time after.

　　Take the wines from Portugal for example. In Chinese, putaoya de putaojiu (wine of Portugal) sounds like a tongue twister because interestingly, the Chinese name for Portugal literally means "the teeth of grapes." Although the grapes of Portugal do not have any teeth, they are made into some of the world's best wines, and grace the palates of wine lovers the world over.

　　Portugal employs a wine classification system similar to that of France to ensure the quality of wine. Some of the most famous DOC (Denomination of Controlled Origin, the highest-rated category) regions are Porto, Vinho Verde, Douro, Dao, and Alentejo.

　　Porto is most famous for Port, the fortified wine that is usually drunk with dessert. Vinho Verde literally means Green Wine, and produces a wine of the same name. Crisp, fruity, and slightly petulant, the wine is a refreshing alternative to the more robust wines found in other parts of Portugal.

　　Douro, Dao, and Alentejo produce a variety of high quality wines, each retaining a distinct character. Carm Reserva (Douro), Quinta dos Roques Garrafeira (Dao), and Marques de Borba Reserva (Alentejo) are just a few of them.

　　Faced with so many options, one cannot help but ask, "How do I make a choice?" According to Tam who has travelled the world tasting good wine and good food (what a life!), the most expensive wine does not necessarily make the best choice.

　　Selecting a wine is like selecting a wife, or girlfriend, all dependent on your own taste. However, all good wines have something in common, which is a balance of three things: acidity, fruitiness, and tannin.