The thing about pasta is that, like rice, it borrows flavors from its surroundings. Therefore, pairing wine with pasta relies strictly on the ingredients and/or especially the sauce. A ravioli filled with cheese and topped with tomato sauce certainly calls for a southern Italian red like Primitivo, or maybe a California red Zinfandel, but a ravioli stuffed with shrimp and topped with sweet red or yellow pepper sauce would disappear under the weight of the red wine; this dish calls for Gewurztraminer or Riesling, or maybe an Austrian white like Gruner Veltliner.
Italians create pasta soups known as en brodo, i.e. tortellini en brodo. The broth for these soups is produced either from chicken or veal stock and as such they are perfect with a rich, nutty Pinot Grigio or Tocai Friuliano, or maybe a fine Soave.
And then there is northern Italian pasta, which in the northeast of the country is often produced from barley. Many of these dishes include robust smoked meats like prosciutto or sharp cheeses like Reggiano, they are fine with northern red wines that have good acidity and lots of fruit--Refosco comes to mind.
Rice as risotto (delicate ingredients like mushrooms, seafoods and cheese) calls for a light white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc; as paiella (hearty ingredients like chorizo and hot spices) it calls for big, peppery red wine like Shiraz/Syrah or Mourvedre. Rice as a side dish generally has no wine partner.
