Now the truth is (in my opinion at least) that there are few rules with choosing a wine to match with a meal, whether it is a formal dinner, a piece of cheese or a light lunch. I think you will be better served to really just drink what you like with what you like to eat. Yes that sounds political and non snooty - but is almost the whole truth. I think some people who are reading this would probably appreciate some tips on what to pair and just as important - what NOT to match with certain foods. Let's put some random food groups as our topic headers and mention some good wine pairings with them.
Steak
"Steak and Cab" - yes there is no stronger pairing than a good medium rare steak and a fruity and sturdy Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the food and wine match for kings. Truth is almost all bold red wines will pair great with steak and if you ask me, so would a glass of water! I love a good steak regardless. Cabernet, especially great Napa Cabs and bordeaux blends are wonderfully complex bold driven reds that work wonders with any pure bloody meat protein. But throw in Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Merlot or any blends of those and you should be very happy with the match.
Although there are no "rules" here, I would avoid most lighter reds and white wines to get the most enjoyable wine pairing experience.
Hamburgers, Beef Ribs, and other fatty red meat protein foods are all well served being paired with full bodied red wines.
Pork and Veal
This really is too general to attempt as unlike steaks, pork and veal (and lamb) can have several styles with different sauce tastes that can really change the pairing style with wines. In general, I like most veal dishes with high level pinot noir. "High level" meaning "quality". Most varieties have good and bad, but unlie Merlot and Syrah (Shiraz) and some others, I find Pinot Noir can be mind blowingly amazing from one producer and a light and watery mess from another. Obviously, we want to lok for the former. A high octane but lean mouthfeel pinot from a top producer in California perhaps (Russain River Valley), Oregon and of course - Burgundy can really be the best food and wine pairing this side of steak and cab. Pork and lamb as well. But - the rule with most pairings besides the obvious is you pair to the sauce, not the meat. A pork dish in a sweet duck sauce would go better with a riesling or pinot gris than a pinot noir. If it is a veal marsala, which is not a sweet sauce, I would go pinot noir and not a white wine. A good pairing makes the food AND the wine taste better.
Chicken
This is the most subjective food and the one with the most variances based on prep style, sauce and how it was cooked. The sauce is everyting on this as well. In general, if the food is fairly conservative in chicken style like a roast chicken, parts cooked in a stock base or even fried or baked cutlets, I find a non oaked and non sweet white wine to be the best pairing. Non oaked meaning, no Chardonnay and non sweet applying to many rieslings. A Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Rousanne or other white blend can work very well. I have also enjoyed lighter styled Pinot Noir and Beaujolais can work, but for me if I'm going to consider resorting to Beaujolais, I'd rather reach for a white! Just me maybe, but I hate wimpy white wines.
Shellfish and Seafood
I enjoy most shellfish with Chardonnay, White Burgundy (which is mostly chardonnay) and sparkling white wine or champagne. Seafood can have wine pairing used to the sauce and prep as well. I find white wine pretty versitile, especially if they are no too sweet or overoaked.
Cheeses
I have to say the best combination of wine and food I can think of is wine and cheese. It seemes so cliche but they really go so well together. The type of cheese almost doesn't matter and I have dozens of white wines with cheese and it's always a nice hit to my palate. So if you can't cook or are lazy but have great wine to share - a generous plate of cheese and crackers will make even the most snobby wine lover very happy.
Drink the wine you like with the food you like. There are no real rules. I will say though that while a good porterhouse steak can be enjoyed with a sprite or a glass of milk, a great and complex red wine really should enjoy a good food pairing to go with it. Sometimes any good snack with the right flavor can work in the world of wine pairing and food matching. Anyone that has gotten greatr enjoyment from a great Napa Cab and a box of Cheese Itz knows what I'm saying.
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Riedel Wine Series Cabernet/Merlot Glass, Set of 4
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