The French eat considerably fatter food than North Americans yet they tend to live longer and suffer less cardiovascular disease. One reason for this is their consumption of red wine. Another reason is the difference between ''good'' fatty foods and bad ones. But that is for another book.

Wine is great over pleasant dinner conversation, with your meal and with your mate.

Here are the basics of wine, a sort of guide for starters with everything from definitions to recommendations.

Red

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon ranks amongst one of the world's most produced red grapes. It makes for a full flavored red wine and thus makes it an ideal food wine. Cabernet is perfect with lamb, but it also hits the spot with roast turkey, steak, goose, grilled meats and gamy meats. It is perhaps the best wine to accompany a boeuf bourguignon or any other mushroom based stew or sauce.

Cabernet sauvignon is widely regarded as one of the world’s better quality grapes, especially for dry red table wines. Cabernets possess a fairly strong fruit flavor. Fairly acidic, Cabernet matures slowly but manages to keep a high quality and freshness for years on end.

Merlot

Hailing from Bordeaux, Merlot makes for a great, soft, balanced and fruity wine. More so than any other red grape wine, it is the perfect wine to drink on its own. But for the same reasons that a Merlot stands out on its own, it also makes for a great accompaniment with various dishes. Spicy game dishes are one such example. Other examples include patés, ham and duck. You may not be cooking much duck throughout your schooling, but you never know when you will have to bring a wine over to a supper…

A vigorous grape, Merlot is the main red grape from Bordeaux' legendary crop. Incidentally, a majority of France’s overall grape crops can be traced there. But Merlot's are also found in northern Italy. Merlot's are fruity, rich in character and are much less acidic than Cabernet's. You need not preserve them for as long to enjoy them at peak conditions.

Pinot Noir

Straight from Burgundy, Pinot Noir wine is perfect with any meal that has a combination with a spice like tarragon, thyme, dill or oregano. Examples are rabbit with mustard and chicken with tarragon, thyme, dill or oregano.

Shiraz

Shiraz hails from Australia, South Africa, California and the Rhone region in France. Shiraz has a great color, is moderately acidic and tends to lean on the fruity side. But they are nowhere near as fruity as Riesling. They are perfect with more meaty and hearty dishes.

Zinfandel

Zinfandel is a very versatile grape that makes for fairly plain white, sweet pink as well as fruity red wine. Zinfandels are great with tomato sauce dishes and nothing beats chilled Rosé Zinfandel to break the ice on a date.

White

Aligoté

Aligoté grapes make wines that go well with seafood, fish, salads, baguettes with cheese and the like.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the perfect wine for basic fish as well as seafood. Most (but not all) are also recommended with chicken, especially when served with white and thick sauces (such as cream of mushroom, Béarnaise and Béchamel sauces). If you like smoked fish such as smoked salmon, then an oakier chardonnay may be a good fit.

Chardonnay is an excellent grape as it retains a relatively high acidic level over time. If you like a hint of peach, apricot and fig, Chardonnay may be for you.

Gewurztraminer

Spicy and packed with a strong bouquet, this wine is recommended with Asian cuisine.

Riesling

Riesling's are perfect by themselves. They go well with desserts, are perfect as appetizers and compliment duck and some salads.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon's are good with rice, fish, and fit well with seafood, especially those that accompany tomato-based sauces.

Of course, if you have one too many glasses of wine, you just might wake up the next day with a hangover.