You're right. You can have whatever kind of wine you want with any meal, but if I wanted to impress someone I would pick something that suited the food and would complement its taste.
Shiraz would be my recommendation. Nice, peppery flavor, but it can be rather chewy with a strong nose (bold and hits fast) so I would suggest buying 2 bottles and tasting beforehand or grabbing a glass at a restaurant so you won't be disappointed at dinner.
My 2 recommendations:
Penford's. $10/bottle. Excellent stuff, but it's
STRONG. Do not open the bottle much in advance of drinking... in fact, I would suggest opening it at the table just before or after serving up the food. Oxidizes and gets peppery fast.
Make sure you pick up Shiraz, and not their Shiraz Cabernet, which imho isn't very good. (They make an excellent Chardonnay though. Real clean, awesome for sushi.)
Bottle looks like this:
Second option:
Terra Australis $5-$10/bottle. On the milder side. Less peppery, overall easier on the tongue.
I can't find a pic of the label, but it's a dark green with gold trim and a background of a map IIRC.
Even though it's a second label, Liberty School can be a little hard on the wallet. Last Cabernet of theirs I bought was $30.