Most people tend to stick to the traditional guidelines when it comes to pairing wine with foods. Red wine with cheese and white wine with seafood are classic combinations. But you don’t always need to play by these rules. These are just a few of the common mistakes people make when matching wine with food.

Choosing the right wine to go with your food should be based on more than the flavour. Wine expert Pascaline Lepeltier of Rouge Tomate explains: “People wrongly focus on flavours and aromas when choosing a wine with their food. It’s more important to match the fat, acid, sweetness, and texture in the dish with the acid, alcohol, tannins, and sweetness of the wine."

Ronan Sayburn, head of wine at London’s 67 Pall Mall, told Bloomberg he’s often annoyed when people choose a rosé wine because someone has ordered steak and another has requested fish. “They think it will match both, but it won’t go with either one.” He recommends ordering by the glass, rather than sharing a badly-matched bottle.

Cabernet Sauvignon ruins the taste and texture of oysters, according to winemaker Brianne Day. She told Serious Eats: "Cabernet and oysters. They're terrible first because of the textural interaction (fish feels like sand when you put it with a tannic wine) and second because of the flavours. Oysters taste like old metal cans when paired with tannic wines. A beer, a glass of sparkling water, a cocktail... anything is better with oysters than a Cabernet-based wine."

Combining Chardonnay with sharp-tasting mackerel should be avoided at all costs, according to Chris Johnson of Victory Wine Group. He told Serious Eats: "The metallic, oily component in the fish breaks apart the wine and the oaky, buttery note of the wine sends spikes down my back as I type this. It completely contradicts the flavours in the fish. I would not serve Brussels sprouts as side dish for that one either..."

It’s widely accepted that poultry works better with white wines but darker birds such as pheasant, partridge, duck and guinea fowl also work very well with reds. You might be surprised how well they stand up to heavier styles such as Rioja and Chianti.

Combining high-alcohol wines and fatty foods may taste nice in small doses, but be warned – you could pay for it later. Drinking too much will leave you with a stomach pain. Madeline Puckette of Wine Folly advises against combining these with dishes such as lasagna: “The acidity in the cheese, tomato sauce and wine is enough to peel out the insides of your stomach.”

Eating spicy foods with a strong wine can give the drink a burnt flavour. Penfolds Winemaking Ambassador Dlynn Proctor explains: "The worst food and wine pairing is a heavily oaked wine with extremely spicy food. It’s like having to call a fire truck for your mouth! Thai and Indian foods, which I love, just don't work with heavily oaked or high-alcohol wines. Heat and oak just cannot get along, because one will always intensify the other, creating an imbalance of flavour."

Thin, flaky fish such as sea bass or plaice are best matched with delicate white wines like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Medium textured fish that is still flaky but slightly firmer is best with medium-bodied wines; try haddock or halibut with a white Rioja, Semillon or dry Chenin Blanc.

It’s generally assumed that fish should only be served with white wine, but this doesn’t always need to be the case. Sommelier Paul Grieco of New York’s Terroir bar believes this view is outdated. He told Serious Eats: “The last time this expression held true, Nixon was still in the White House. Everything is up for grabs these days".

Thicker fish with meaty textures such as salmon, swordfish, monkfish and tuna can be paired with richer white wines such as a white Burgundy or even a dry rosé. While very intense-flavoured fish like anchovies, sardines and herring will work with reds such as Pinot Noir.

Dustin Wilson, master sommelier and co-founder of Verve Wine, is not a fan of this combination. "In my opinion, the worst food and wine pairing, the one that makes me cringe, is big tannic reds with raw fish like crudo or sushi,” he told Serious Eats. “The wine makes the fish taste terrible and the fish makes the wine taste terrible. There is no way around it. I’ll never understand why people order Napa Cabernet in a sushi restaurant. It boggles my mind."

Red wines go well with red meat because the tannins in the wine encourage proteins to release their flavour. But don’t get stuck in a rut by ordering the same wine every time. Different varieties work better with certain cuts of meat. According to Fine Dining, roast tenderloin and prime rib go well with Bordeaux-style blends or Cabernet Sauvignon. Pan-seared fillets work with Merlot and Shiraz while slow-cooked brisket and stews suit the richer flavours of Châteauneuf du Pape.

Madeline Puckette, author of Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine, advises caution when pairing flavours. She’s described the combination of Syrah with sweet and sour chicken as a ‘palate destroyer’. “A big, juicy wine with a sauce that dominates your mouth. You might as well finish yourself off with a cup of coffee, a glass of milk and a grapefruit.”

While a glass of crisp, cool white is a great pairing with a summer salad or pasta dishes, it's by no means the only option. Light reds such as Beaujolais and Bardolino drink beautifully when chilled, offering a soft, fruity and refreshing alternative. "Aim for 10°C to 17°C," advises Wayne Falkenberg, chief winemaker at Lindeman's winery in Australia's Hunter Valley.

Cooking techniques have a huge effect on how food will taste; it's not only about pairing ingredients with your wine. Barbecued chicken, for example, has a rich smoky flavour and is more suited to red wine, especially Malbec. But poached or grilled chicken has a lighter flavour and is better suited to fresher wines such as Albarino, Verdejo or dry Riesling.

If you love dishes with tangy flavours such as sweet BBQ and hoisin, match them with fruity red wines like Lambrusco, Zinfandel and Shiraz. Tomato-based sauces should be matched with medium-bodied red wines to match the acidity in the tomatoes, such as Merlot or Grenache.

Sharp-tasting dressings like vinaigrette will leave wines tasting weaker and flatter in comparison. Combat this by eschewing rich, buttery wines for those with high acidity: Muscadet, Grüner Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc will all work well.

For dishes that contain garlic, mint, rosemary and chimichurri sauces, wine expert Madeline Puckette recommends fruity bold red wines with a smooth taste. On the website Wine Folly, she explains; “If the dish uses a lot of raw garlic and onion, seek out medium reds with higher acidity to cut through the residual allium flavour, such as a Côtes du Rhône or a Carménère.”

When thinking about wine pairings it's all too easy to stick to the most common varietals, but it's often worth seeking out a more unusual bottle. For example, you could try a highly-perfumed Argentine Torrontés with Vietnamese dishes or a tannic Barbera from the Piemonte with cured meats or pizza.

If you're looking to add a touch of sophistication to your fried chicken meal, Allegra Angelo, sommelier at Michy’s in Miami shares her favourites. “Undoubtedly the best part of fried chicken is the skin: crunchy, delicate when done well, pleasantly fatty, and then salty,” she told Daily Meal. “Look for the same things in wines: for whites, experiment with ones that have acid, are a bit sweet or ones that are rich but dry. For reds, choose ones that have body and spice.”

Madeline Puckette also has some advice on which wines to match with dishes that contain white sauces. She explains: “With a peppercorn sauce, match with wines with peppery notes such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz. With lasagna topped with béchamel, seek out a medium-bodied red like Valpolicella Ripasso. With béarnaise, look for a bold red with more acidity, such as Bordeaux, Chilean Cabernet or Lagrein."

Do you automatically select a red wine to go with your cheese board? Although it’s usually a good match for some stronger flavours, white wine is better suited to most other varieties. Stephen Williams, the founder of The Antique Wine Company, told The Telegraph: “Basically, you should never have any kind of creamy cheese with red wine. It’s just a no-no.” He added: “White wines generally go better with almost every type of cheese.”

Raj Vaidya, head sommelier of New York’s Daniel restaurant, agrees red isn’t always the best option for cheese. He told Bloomberg: “Very few reds can balance out the tart acidity of most goat’s milk cheeses, especially those coated in ash or herbs. They’re better with Champagne or Chenin Blanc.”

"One of the absolute worst wine pairings I've ever experienced is Époisses with tawny Port,” Anthony Lerner, director at Comme Ça Restaurant, West Hollywood told Serious Eats. “The nuttiness and sweetness of the tawny Port immediately took the creaminess and robust flavours of the Époisses and turned it into sweat socks in my mouth. You could taste it, you could smell it, and all senses were assaulted with an onslaught of offensive characters."

Combining this celebratory tipple with a frosted cake is a very bad marriage indeed, according to Evan Goldstein, master sommelier and president of Full Circle Wine Solutions. “The tartness of the wine will clash with the sweetness of the cake,” he said. He recommends serving with prosecco or sweet Italian Moscato instead.