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The general rule for pairing beef and red wine is leaner = lighter.
Lean Cuts of Beef
When pairing wine with lean cuts of beef, look for light or medium bodied red wines.
These wines have slightly higher acidity than other types, and this cuts nicely through the texture of lean meat. A general rule that you can follow is to match the intensity of the dish with the wine – so, if it’s a rich beefy stew, a slightly bolder, medium red will do well, and vice versa.
Fattier Cuts of Beef
Fatty red meats work really well with bold or ‘full-bodied’ red wines, which have high tannin.
Tannin is an astringent, which works as a palate cleanser and ‘scrapes’ the fattiness of the beef from the inside of your mouth.
Beef Pairing Guide
Here’s a handy guide to pairing beef and wine, which we have borrowed from wine.net:
Beef |
Suggested Wine Accompaniment |
| Prime Rib | Red Burgundy, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chianti Classico Riserva, Syrah, Zinfandel |
| Filet Mignon | Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Red Burgundy, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Aged Chianti, Pinot Noir |
| New York | Red Bordeaux, Red Burgundy Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Rhone, Syrah, Petite Sirah |
| Porterhouse | Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti |
| Ribeye | Cabernet Sauvignon, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Sangiovese, Syrah, Zinfandel |
| Flank | Syrah, Merlot, Chianti, Cotes du Rhone, Nebbiolo |
| Sirloin | Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Bordeaux, Zinfandel, Chianti, Syrah, Red Rhone, Merlot |
| Tartare | Chianti, Pinot Noir, Red Bordeaux or Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Chablis, Gewurztraminer |
| T-Bone | Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Bordeaux, Merlot, Chianti Classico, Sangiovese, Syrah |
Getting your beef and wine pairing just right might take a bit of testing… but we’re sure you’ll manage to navigate through it.
Cheers!
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