Power Play

Meet big flavors head-on with brawny wines

Bigger is indeed better--sometimes.

As restaurants in the Bay Area continue to embrace bolder flavors, a new way of thinking about wine has emerged.

Instead of pouring excessively oaked red wines from the New World, local restaurants have turned to bottles from Greece, Croatia, Austria and Portugal. The powerful red wines of those countries have a long tradition of balanced winemaking that complements intense preparations.

Here, four restaurants that offer a new way of navigating a wine list:

Kokkari Greek food is rarely subtle, even at this California-influenced fixture downtown. Try the 2003 Tsantalis Metoxi ($72), an herbaceous match for thyme-flavored dishes.

Aziza Earthy Moroccan flavors and creative cooking are perfect with the 2007 Nigl Zweigelt ($53) from Austria, which combines ripe fruit with high acidity. (Experts often mistake it for white wine in blind tastings.)

Limón The mostly Peruvian menu calls for fruit-forward wines with undertones of dark chocolate and blackberry. The Portuguese 2006 Singularis Aragones/Trincadeira ($36) fills the bill.

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