I’m drinking a lot of riesling, sauvignon blanc, grenache, pinot noir, Chianti and sparkling wine these days.

I’m not drinking much cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, viognier, zinfandel, pinot gris or syrah.

I’m frequently asked often what my favorite wines are, and I often cop out and say I pick wine to go with food. Which is true. And of late, we have a lot of interest in ethnic foods with their intriguing variations (such as Nepalese as an alternative to Indian and Thai as an alternative to Chinese).

With many of these sorts of foods, lighter weight white wines seem to do best. Riesling, since it may be found bone dry (such as from Australia) to off-dry (most California and Washington versions), seems to be an appropriate choice with the spicy foods of the Far East.

As for why I don’t usually pick a pinot gris or pinot grigio with such foods, too many are simple and rather neutral in taste, and a few are actually noticeably sweet, though the label almost never gives you that information.

As a substitute for pinot gris, I’d rather pay a bit more and find a young Spanish albarino, which usually has more exotic aromas and flavors.

I love sauvignon blanc from many places in the world, and it has become about as flexible a wine as you can imagine. Some versions, such as those from New Zealand, are so dramatic that they work with a wide array of seafood. Leaner styles, such as those from the Loire Valley, are great with simply prepared fish like poached trout.

California makes a number of delightful sauvignon blancs, with those from the colder regions (like Russian River) often a little more angular. Richer versions, including some aged in oak, can be almost like a lighter chardonnay with herbal notes in the aroma.

Pinot noir is a truly flexible red wine, but this fast-growing category has a pitfall: Above about $25 a bottle, you can find some lovely examples, but the lower you go on the price scale, the less you get in terms of flavor and character.

This is less evident with syrah, where high price usually gets you only more concentration, but rarely is the wine actually that much better. In blind tastings, I often find excellent, tasty syrahs for $10 to $15 and the $20 to $40 wines aren’t twice the quality.

One place where value for dollar seems to be highest is with comparably priced shiraz or grenache from Australia. At the $15 (and under) price point, there are a lot of good wines that work with beef, lamb, and other hearty food.

As for cabernet, to work with food, it (and all wines, really) should be balanced. And the more you pay for a cabernet, the more likely you are to get a wine that lacks some of the crucial balance. For $10, you should be able to find a decent, well-made cabernet. California has dozens of them.

Chardonnay and viognier aren’t as interesting to me because both tend to be rather heavy wines that call for foods in cream sauces, and I don’t eat a lot of rich foods.

I don’t drink a lot of zinfandel because so many of them are small, over-ripe and have alcohols in the 15 percent to 16 percent range — and higher.

I’m a huge fan of dry gewurztraminer, especially with Asian foods, and often pair it with sushi or sashimi. The trace of sugar in most gewurztraminers tames the heat of wasabi and adds a cleansing taste with soy sauce, miso and the like.

As for my love of Chianti (as well as barbera), the acidity in the wine is what I need to deliver compatible flavors for tomato-laced dishes, olive oil and Parmigiano.

I also like petite sirah with heavy roasted meat dishes, and those I consume from my cellar are usually older bottles that have had the time to reduce some of the tannins of youth.

And, finally, there’s bubbly, which I use for almost any food on the table. The good strong acidity works to harmonize the flavors in many types of foods.

Wine of the Week: 2006 Nepenthe Tryst White, Adelaide Hills ($15) -- A dramatic, stylish Australian white wine that’s a blend of 70 percent sauvignon blanc with small amounts of semillon and pinot gris. The wine is a lot more sophisticated than most wines of this price, showing a fascinating aroma of lime peel, grapefruit and slate with traces of dried hay and herbs. Great with grilled seafood, this wine will probably be better in a year. Imported by Click Imports in Seattle, Wash.

Dan Berger resides in Sonoma County, Calif. Berger publishes a weekly newsletter on wine and can be reached at danberger@VintageExperiences.com.