Many pretentious words are written by so called experts extolling the virtues of a particular wine's culinary matching capabilities, or which wine would be an absolute faux-pas to serve with certain foods; confusion often follows and a reticence to experiment means one is missing out on the great fun of discovering new and interesting wines and food combinations.

Just click on each food category to see my suggested wine matches for the dishes that we all enjoy on a daily basis as well as in restaurants and on those special occasions. Below you'll find ten easy points to remember when matching wine and food, don't worry most are just common sense.

First and foremost choose a good wine, one that you believe you will enjoy even without food, as most probably you'll have a glass or two before the meal and in some cases after as well.

All the wine pairings I have selected I like to drink myself and through trial and error know go well with their particular food match, but in the end remember it's what you enjoy that counts.

1. Wine and food should complement each other, not battle against each other. Light, delicately flavoured foods pair best with lighter wines, and rich dishes with intense flavours are better matched with more mature full-bodied wines.

2. If you're planning to serve more than one wine in a meal, it's customary to serve lighter wines before full-bodied wines and drier wines before sweeter wines.

3. In general wines lower in alcohol should be served before those high in alcohol.

4. Match the wine to the dominant flavour in your food.

5. Foods and wines from the same geographical location by definition have a natural affinity so should go well together.

6. Match the wine to the guest! Yes, if you know your guest's tastes, don't stray too far from their preference. If they're more of the adventurous kind, choose a wine slightly off the beaten track!

7. There are only a couple of problem foods. To get round these consider serving more than one wine or try to avoid really garlicky and highly spiced foods, also a dish high in vinegar can prove a challenge for most wines. Try pairing opposites, very spicy dishes often work best with sweeter wines cleansing the palate.

8. Balance the weight of the food with the weight of the wine. A big full flavoured dish needs a big bold wine to partner it.

9. Use some of the wine in your cooking. Wine is fabulous in marinades and sauces.

10. Stick to your guns. Yes, listen to other's opinions, but if you like it, then it works, enjoy!