Ovenbird, I made cioppino for my husband and I at Christmas. It was the first time I'd made it and it was very good, I used a cup and a half of the chardonnay he was drinking. Annie

I definitely enjoy drinking dry white wine--never really developed an appreciation of red. I also love Manhattans on the rocks, gin and tonic, and Tom Collins. However, as I grow older I react to all alcohol with a bright red nose and cheeks, very watery eyes and can barely stay awake after one drink. I choose not to drink with others because I look so terrible and I drink alone only if something horrible has happened and I desperately want/need to dull my senses. I didn't even drink after the deaths of two of my Siberian huskies last year. I am looking for a wine to add a little "something" to a recipe. Cooked wine doesn't cause any reaction for me--guess I kill all the alcohol during cooking. That's great because I love Bacardi or Southern Comfort cake. Nancy

My daughters spent part of their childhood here in Spain where it was often customary to give the children a few drops of wine in a glass when it was being poured for the adults at the table. But it was diluted for them with a good squirt of the ever-present mesh-covered squirt bottle of carbonated water that graced most tables during that time. It was used for diluting drinks or drinking straight and was useful for moistening a napkin to mop off any food spills on your clothing while you dined LOL. If you see old photos of Europeans dining in restaurants or even at home pre-1970s you will often see the familiar mesh-covered sifon bottle on the table. I always had one on my dinner table. We would take the empty bottles back to the corner store and for a peseta or two (think cents) get a full bottle in return. (Now does that make me sound old!) This is one way I have made salmon and it was good. I'm accustomed to cooking with wine and wouldn't worry about serving this to children...but you could just give a small amount of the sauce if you were concerned. Here's how it looked when I made it: - Makes 4 servings. 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 (6-ounce) salmon steaks or fillets 2 teaspoons honey 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided 8 cups spinach leaves 1/2 teaspoon minced peeled garlic 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved 1/2 cup dry red wine Combine salt, mustard, thyme and pepper; mix well. Rub salmon fillets with honey and sprinkle with half the seasoning mixture. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a nonstick skillet. brown both sides of salmon fillets. Toss spinach and garlic with remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Place salmon on spinach, cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake at 300°F for 10 minutes. Sauté grapes in skillet used to brown salmon. Add wine bring to a boil, season to taste with remaining seasoning mixture; reduce by half. Serve salmon on spinach; top with grape sauce. Served on a bed of spinach and spiced with garlic, thyme and mustard. Recipe Source: California Table Grape Commission. SharonCb

No "jessyf", you guys haven't scared me off. Yes, I am well aware that most red wines go with red meats, and most white wines go with white meats/fish/seafood. Yeah, I'm still new to cooking with wines, but most of the ones I've tried out so far have been really awful, with an exception of a few. Sure, I might have my own tastes, but hopefully this will help narrow it down a little bit... 1) Looking for a dry / sweet red wine which won't be too tannic/sour when reduced into a sauce for a red meat dish. Specifically Italian/French RED wines... 2) Looking for a more full body/flavored WHITE wine. I've been using only Riesling so far (because it works well). I mainly do chicken dishes, and rarely any SEAFOOD, because family members are allergic to those things. 3) I am NOT looking for a white wine for FISH, other than Salmon. I have a different way of cooking fish, and various kinds (ocean fish only).