It is no surprise that soup goes well with many wines. But next time you are planning a dinner party, don't just consider soup for the first course. Think a hearty stew, followed by a green salad and a cheese course, and you have a classic dinner.

Recently, my friends & I had Cajun Seafood Jumbo with a wide array of wines. The jumbo wasn't too spicey. We found, to our delight, that it paired marvelously with white Burgundies, red Burgundies, white Rhones, red Rhones, Priorat, even middle-aged red Bordeaux. In fact, people could hardly decide which they liked best.

On another night, we made Cioppino. It was delicious and similarly, it paired well with many wines, although most of us prefered pinot noir. (Classic Cioppino recipes call for white wine in the dish, but the tomatoes and the shellfish make it great with lighter red wines.)

An the real winner in versatility goes to Paella. We had it recently with all kinds of wines.
The Paella was flavorful but not spicey, and all of the components were delicious. The rice & saffron, shellfish and poultry all added elements of flavor and texture that went with many wines.
My personal favorite was a Condrieu 2001 from Texier, and the Hermitage 1999 from Faurie.
That said, before we got to the Rhone wines, a white Bordeaux worked, as did a Santa Barbara pinot noir, and a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. So I say, the more the merrier. And Bon Appetit.