The key point when pairing wine with food is what is the overall flavour of your meal going to be? You may be having chicken but how are you cooking it, will there be a glaze or a sauce? It is all the extras that you are adding in that lead you to your perfect pairing.

Is the dish heavy or light, meaty, spicy? When you are cooking you are thinking of what will work together to make a delicious meal, the same thought process is used to pair a wine that will be balanced. Try to match the weight of the dish with the weight (body) of the wine, types of sweetness or tartness.