Matching food and wine is something of an art. However, even the novice can follow a few guidelines that will definitely improve their ability to appropriately pair a wine with a meal.
One guideline to live by in pairing food and wine: Light foods go with light wines. Heavy foods go with heavy wines. Delicate meals need a light wine. Heavier meals need a bigger wine.
Example: Filet of Sole goes nicely with a Sauvignon Blanc, not a Zinfandel. The Zin in most cases would overpower the fish.
Example: A pesto pizza with prosciutto and cheese goes nicely with a Zinfandel, not a Sauvignon Blanc. The pizza would overpower the Sauvignon Blanc.
Here is a list to get you started:
Sauvignon Blanc – white or light fish, mild cheese, fruit
Chardonnay – grilled chicken, salmon, shellfish, and grilled fish, anything with a cream sauce.
Pinot Noir – light meats, chicken, grilled anything, salmon.
Merlot – pasta, red meat, duck, smoked or grilled foods
Cabernet Sauvignon – red meats, especially a juicy barbequed steak, grilled and smoked foods.
Syrah – red meats, spicy pizzas, herbed sauces on red meat, turkey
Dry Rosé - salads, pasta salads, bbq chicken or fish, light spicy foods
Zinfandel – tomato pasta dishes, pizza, pesto, red meats, chicken with heavy sauces
Things to keep in mind:
The rules for wine pairing have relaxed a bit, but the fact remains that certain flavors of food and wine mix better together than others.
While it isn't unheard of to have a white wine with meat or a red wine with fish or seafood, you don't want to serve a very strong tasting wine with a delicate entree, or the other way around.
The wine and the food should complement each other, not battle against each other. One way to decide is to remember what some experts recommend, "Simple wines with complex foods...complex wines with simple foods."
Here is a Fun Video on wine tastes and wine pairing:
