5 Basic Keys to Wine & Food Pairing, by Andy Berwick

Must Read!  Perfect Pairings, Evan Goldstein, MS 

#1. Weight.  Balance Flavor Intensity :  Pair light bodied wines with lighter foods and fuller bodied wines with more rich, hearty, flavorful dishes.

#2.  Flavor intensity. Balance food preparations : Pair delicate wines with foods more delicately prepared, like steamed or poached fish/chicken. While fuller bodied wines with heavier foods that have been roasted, grilled or sauteed. Think.......Sauvignon Blanc & Dover Sole, Roasted lamb & Syrah

#3.  Match Flavors :   If using a sauce, pair the  wine to the sauce and/or any dominate flavor.  Think about what you taste in the food and what you taste in the wine.  Match  flavor characteristics such as earthiness, fruit, smokiness.  Think....  Mushroom Risotto & Nebbiolo   

#4.  Consider the opposite:  Hot & spicy often go best with sweeter wines.  Opposites can attract and play off each other. Think......  Spicy Thai noodles & Riesling

#5.  Experiment:  Try new wines and new foods together.  See what works and what doesn't.  Every pairing is a learning experience. Enjoy the process and don't take it all too seriously. 

Basic Considerations:
Food: 

1.Weight/richness of food. 

2.Flavor Intensity. 

3.Key flavors in the food

Wine:

1.Weight/body of wine.  

2.Flavor intensity and characteristics. 

3.Acidity- Tannins & Sweetness