Wine and Food Pairings from WineGiftShop.com!
In general you can't go wrong with the old rule of pairing red wines with red meats and white wines with chicken and fish. Actually, this pairing of wine with food has only been a subject of interest in the last century. Historically, people generally drank whatever wine was produced in the region. Ironically, food and wine in a local region have generally evolved to compeiment each other. Good French wines generally are at their best when enjoyed with French cuisine. Similarly, the wonderful elegant and subtle flavors of Italian food seem to go best with their Italian wine counterparts.
The basic rules still apply. Red wine with red meat; white wine with fish or chicken. These basic rules still apply, but should not be restrictive. For example, how do you apply the rule if you are serving a spicy Asian stir fry dish for your guests this evening? In many cases, you need to broaden out from this basic rule. One way to do this is to apply a regional guideline noted above by pairing regional food with regional wine.
While we don't want to complicate the process for you, there are some other guidelines to consider. First, try to match the acidity of the dish with the acidity of the wine. Second try to match the flavor of the wine with the flavor of the food. Sweet food will make a dry wine taste unpleasant. The flavors of a sauce on your dish should balance with the wine as well. The final decision should follow in line with your personal preferences. If you love red wine, no one will be offended if you have a glass of Merlot with your favoriate fish or chicken dish.