When serving wine with food, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind, although, as with most rules in the culinary world, they are made to be broken. Experimentation is key, and the best way to develop your pairing skills is by tasting as many combinations as you can, and trusting your own judgement and personal preferences.

One of the best guidelines is too not upstage the star dish or wine. If you are serving an exceptional wine, especially a vintage, be careful to not overpower it with a food option that is too complex. Vice Versa, don’t pair a easy-drinking wine with a very simple dish. It is important to let the most outstanding element be the centre of attention.

Balance is one of the most important factors to consider. Big, flavourful and full wines should be matched with rich and complex dishes that are boldly-flavoured, while a mild dish that is not rich, such as white fish, will be best complemented by a light wine. Food with an extremely intense flavour, such as peppered mackerel, curry and chocolate are notoriously difficult to pair with wine. In such a situation, look at the wines' structure more than its flavour and base your selection on how well they match.

Tannins pair well with fat, since the astringency of the tannins cuts through the viscosity of the fat and will cleanse the palate. Indian dishes that are often made with clarified butter, and Asian dishes with a high oil content are thus good matches for wines with a high tannin level.

Wines with a high acidity level, like Sauvignon Blanc, go with many dishes, including anything rich and creamy, and fish. Match tart with tart: a salad with a vinaigrette and anything containing lemon or tomato will need a wine that has a quite high acidity level.

Some foods contain chemical compounds that makes it very difficult to pair them with wine, as they change the taste of the wine. Some fish and shellfish, for instance, are high in iodine, and the iodine content reacts with tannins in red wine to produce a metallic taste that is generally distasteful. Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called methyl mercaptan which may give wine a vegetal character, while the compound cynarin in artichokes can lead to tart or crisp wines tasting strangely sweet. Egg yolks tend to cover the palate, which can lead to a perceived diminished flavor in wine.

If you are eating or serving a dish that is heavy in sauces, look to the sauce's content and flavour components, and not the protein served with it, to dictate what wine you pair it with.

Lastly, be inspired by the style of the food to match the perfect wine to it. Italian-style wines will pair well with Italian food, for instance.