Cold roast beef and a light Loire red

If you see the words roast beef you might automatically think of a full-bodied red - a Bordeaux or cabernet sauvignon, for instance - but there are times, as last week, when a light red will work just as well.

We were in a modern bistro in Paris called Collier de la Reine which serves small plates, as almost all restaurants do these days, one of which was a dish they described as ‘roast beef, potatoes, horseradish’.

It seemed a bit bizarre to order such a very English dish in the French capital but I was intrigued and in fact it was served in a very Parisian way - rare, bordering on raw and tiède as the French put it. Meaning at ambient temperature. Not quite cold but not exactly warm either.

With it I ordered a glass of A Contre Courant a natural wine from the Loire made from Pinot Meunier, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Cot - interestingly a 2020 vintage although it still tasted remarkably fresh and was perfect with the rare meat.

Unfortunately that vintage only seems to be available in Japan although you can buy the 2018 vintage for £28 from Dynamic Vines whose website carries a good description of the background to the wine.

Other similar light Loire reds should work too.

See also Which Wine - or Beer - to Pair with Roast Beef 

The Best Food Pairings for Cabernet Franc

If you’d like be able to check out all the food and wine pairings on the site you can buy a bundle of credits here to access my premium content.

And/or for regular updates on what and where I’ve been eating, drinking and travelling sign up for my weekly newsletter Eat This, Drink That, Live Well.

You may also enjoy …

Beef cheek arancini with a (very special) Spanish garnacha Luigi Bosca Malbec 2011 VistalbaWhat to drink with chicken wings (and your other Superbowl snacks)