wine suggestions

[duckduck]

I guess my question is more of a request than anything. When wine is included in recipe, why is it always so generic, red or white? There are very few cookbooks out there like Tyler Florence's that actually give a type of wine.(such as sauvigon...) While I realize my red wine port sauce will probably never come close to Ripert's, I would like it to be somewhere in the general ballpark. Wouldn't you want to narrow it down to a type of wine that has the characteristics and flavors that would compliment the other ingredients? So many wines, so little time....

Thanks for taking the time for a Q & A!

[Michael Ruhlman]

I find recipes that give a specific wine a little pretentious. I suppose naming a varietal is ok but specifying a vineyard is a bit much. Rule of thumb is to use a wine that you would enjoy drinking. Don't use a $300 bottle of wine. Just remember that if you reduce a bad quality wine, it's bad quality will be concentrated. Use a good drinkable wine appropropriate to the dish you're making.