During our trip to Paris we had lunch at a great Bistro - Les Papilles. Here there is only one menu every day - starter, main, cheese, dessert. You get what the have, and that's it. The many may change every day or every week. This place is also a wine shop, so you pick the wine you want off the shelves that line the dining area (reaching over others eating to grab and examine a bottle!) The main for our lunch was duck, and I asked about a Burgundy that wouldn't break the bank, thinking it would be a good pair with duck. Our server said that their preparation of the duck - with an intense reduction sauce would not work with Burgundy - so pointed me to a cheaper 2003 le Sid Cohors (Malbec) - that was nice and fruity and paired perfectly.
Sometimes you must trust those that know better, in this case it saved me from throwing down $40 or $50 for a mid-range Burgundy, that while a good wine on its own, would have been crushed by the intense flavor of the food. It's hard to know when to trust - but sometimes you just have to do it! Especially places like France, Spain, and Italy where wine is so much a part of the culture that extensive wine knowledge in restaurant staff is very common.
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