Highly flavored food can...

Highly flavored food can overwhelm wine flavors due to the intensity of the food's tastes, which may overshadow the more delicate characteristics of the wine. When food has bold flavors—such as spicy or heavily seasoned dishes—it can dominate the palate, making it difficult to appreciate the nuances of the wine. This results in a less enjoyable drinking experience, as the interplay that typically enhances both food and wine may be disrupted.

In contrast, while highly flavored foods can sometimes enhance certain wine attributes in specific pairings (like spicy foods with wines that have a touch of sweetness), the general rule is that stronger flavors in food can easily overshadow the subtleties of wine.