I have found that matching wine to food is more of a personal preference than anything. There are some standard rules that I still adhere to, but for the most part it comes down to trial and error, and finding what you like (which basically means you're going to have to drink a lot of wine, damnit!). Below are some standard rules and my take on each. Enjoy!

General Rules: When thinking about matching food and wine, experts suggest that you think about the four basic taste components your tongue recognizes: salt, sweet, bitter, and sour. How the food tastes is supposed to dictate the perfect wine selection. Personally, I believe you should create some guidelines in your head and then think about what sounds good to you at the time. Adjust from there.

Red Wines: Generally, the red with red rule works well. Match a red wine with a red meat and you should be in heaven. The heavier tasting the meat, the heavier your red wine should be. much also depends on the sauce being served with the meat. If you're eating venison served with a fruity demi-glace, a dry red is going to taste like vinegar in your mouth. You'd probably do better to order a lighter, fruity red like a young merlot or or even a beaujolais. Usually, though, cabernet or merlot will go with any type of beef, lamb, pork, game, duck, goose and pasta dishes.

White Wines: Because white wine is generally lighter, it's supposed to go with lighter foods such as chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, ham and veal. However, I prefer a good merlot with almost anything grilled, including all fish and most poultry. Also, I have never thought of veal as being "light," so I always drink red wine with my dead baby calf.

Sparkling Wine: I love champagne with lobster and most fish. The bubbles are also great with spicy food.

Rose: You shouldn't be drinking this. Serve it to your cat with a good can of tuna.

As you can see, there are no real rules. Again, I suggest you try some combinations and decide what you like. You can always call or e-mail me and I'll give you some ideas, but it will always come back to your personal preferences