The best wine pairing for steak (updated)

Steak is a natural partner for red wine, but is there a definitive “best” red for steak?

While it’s easy to say that any good red will do, you can fine tune the match. The cut of the steak, the way it’s cooked, and the sauce you choose all play a role in determining which wine will work best with your dish. And if you’re not a red wine drinker you can even pair steak with white wine too.

Here are the key factors to bear in mind when you’re choosing a wine for steak:

How rare or well done it is
The rarer a steak is the more it will lessen the sensation of tannin in any accompanying wine. So if you have a young or comparatively young full-bodied red - a cabernet sauvignon or malbec, for instance - a rare steak will make it taste smoother and more mellow

How charred the outside of the steak is
The more charred a steak is the more ripeness/sweetness you want in your wine. A Coonawarra or Napa Valley cabernet for example or a Stellenbosch cabernet sauvignon.

How much fat there is on the cut
The fattier a steak is the more robust a wine it needs. Rhône reds or other syrah or GSM (grenache/syrah/mourvèdre) blends are perfectly suited to ribeye steaks while a leaner fillet steak pairs better with a pinot noir.

What sauce you’re serving with it
Sauces make a difference. A rich red wine sauce like my Essential Steak Sauce will need a wine that can stand up to it like a malbec or a good quality red Bordeaux. (If you’re making the sauce yourself drink a wine of slightly better quality than you used to make the sauce).

With a peppercorn sauce you don’t want a wine that’s too oaky and/or high in alcohol or it may make each mouthful too spicy. A ripe Rhône or Languedoc red such as a Minervois should work well.

With a béarnaise sauce a pinot noir is a good match or you could even drink a rich white like a Meursault or other full-bodied chardonnay.

With a punchy Argentine chimichurri sauce malbec is the obvious go to.

How old the wine is
If you’re serving an older red ease back on the saucing and serve the wine with its natural juices. If it’s a very old vintage you might even want to serve the steak medium-rare rather than rare - and hold the salad.

My 5 best wines for steak

All that said these are the wines I regularly go back to with steak and which won’t let you down. (Basically we’re talking full-bodied reds)

1. Malbec (especially Argentinian malbec)

Malbec has earned its place as a go-to steak wine, particularly those from Argentina. Why? They’re satisfyingly rich, smooth and plummy - real crowd pleasers. Look out particularly from wines from the Uco Valley.

Check out this idea for a Steak and Malbec supper 

2. Cabernet and cabernet/merlot blends e.g. red Bordeaux

Elegant structured cabernet sauvignon such as the ones you get from the Napa Valley are fantastic with most steaks - equally so when the wine has a proportion of merlot. Steak is probably the ideal way to show off a special bottle, especially with a classic red wine sauce

See also Six of the best pairings for Cabernet Sauvignon

3. Merlot

Merlot is generally softer, smoother and more velvety than cabernet on its own so well suited to leaner cuts like fillet and rump. It goes well with mushrooms too

See also Which foods pair best with merlot

4. Shiraz/syrah

Both shiraz and syrah work with steak in slightly different ways. Australian shiraz in the same way as cabernet sauvignon and malbec - it’s a similarly full bodied red to serve with a nicely charred steak cooked over the coals. Syrah is more savoury - a better choice with a classic steak frites.

See also six of the best food pairings for Australian shiraz

5. ‘Supertuscans’ and other modern Tuscan reds

Although Chianti Classico is a great pairing for the classic bistecca alla Fiorentina more modern Tuscan reds which contain a higher proportion of cabernet and merlot are probably a more versatile match if you’re serving a steak with a creamy sauce or lots of sides.

See also

The best wine pairings for steak tartare

The best wine and beer pairings for a steak pie

You can also serve steak with sake as you can see from this free post

Top image by Natalia Lisovskaya at shutterstock.com

6 of the best drink pairings for Brie (updated)

One of the world’s most popular cheeses, brie can be mild and slightly chalky or decadently gooey and quite strong in flavour.

The best wine pairing for brie will mainly depend on the maturity of the cheese rather than the origin. I wouldn’t recommend radically different drinks for a Somerset brie than a Brie de Meaux, for example (although there’s always the local cider!).

Basically you should think of lighter wines in terms of younger milder cheeses and more structured ones for more mature intensely flavoured ones.

Wine might be the obvious beverage to turn to but there are other drinks that work well too including beer and aperitifs. And I’ve. suggested a couple of alcohol-free alternatives too. 

Six top drink pairings for Brie

* Fruity reds such as New Zealand or Chilean Pinot Noir. (More mature bries or brie-style cheeses will need more powerful structured wines such as those from Central Otago.) Or try a fruity (but not too tannic) Merlot or a ripe ‘cru’ Beaujolais from a good vintage such as 2022. For milder bries a basic Beaujolais Villages is better

* A fruity dry rosé - lovely on a picnic

* A creamy, subtly oaked chardonnay - even a posh white burgundy!

* A cherry or raspberry-flavoured fruit beer (Kriek or Frambozen), particularly when the brie is accompanied by fresh cherries.

* A red berry fruit-flavoured cider. I’m not normally a fan but they do work well with brie. 

* Guignolet (a cherry-flavoured French aperitif) by the same logic.

If you’re looking for an alcohol-free alternative think in terms of similar red fruit flavours. Cranberry juice and pomegranate juice would both be good options.

See also Pairing wine and cheese: 6 ways to do it better

Photo by Liudmyla Chuhunova at shutterstock.com

Six of the best wine pairings for roast or baked ham

If you’re serving a ham or gammon as a roast this Thanksgiving or Christmas you need a more full-bodied wine with it than when you serve ham as a cold cut. Which one depends on the glaze.

Recipes vary hugely but generally include some element of sweetness to counteract the saltiness of the meat. There may be spice in the glaze too which calls for a red with generous ripe fruit - in other words an element of sweetness too. 

Good wine and Christmas ham pairings 

Grenache and grenache blends

Providing your glaze isn’t too sweet try a grenache or grenache blend from the South of France or Australia. That includes Côtes du Rhône but also the popular blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, often shortened to GSM.

Medium to full-bodied shiraz

But not too alcoholic or tannic, I’d suggest. Lovely ripe juicy fruit is just what you want with ham

Chilean merlot or carmenère

Soft and ripe, just the ticket. Good value, too.

Beaujolais

Not the light, gulpable kind but a serious ‘cru’ Beaujolais like a Morgon. For those who like ‘old world’ wines with a bit more acidity

Central Otago pinot noir

The richest of New Zealand’s pinot noirs this would work particularly well with sweeter glazes or ones that include star anise or five spice

Barossa semillon

Semillon tastes of pineapple and pineapple and ham go together so semillon and ham should be a perfect match, right? Absolutely, but I’d go for rich lush Barossa Valley semillon rather than the lighter Hunter Valley style.

And for the leftovers I’d suggest a light juicy Beaujolais or other gamay, a lighter pinot noir or a Chablis.

You may also find this post 20 Christmas wine pairings to learn by heart useful.

Photo © Brent Hofacker - Fotolia.com

9 great wine pairings for duck (updated)

Pinot Noir is the go-to wine with duck, and for good reason. Its lush fruit complements the meat in the same way as fruit like plums and cherries. But duck can be cooked many different ways, which means there’s plenty of opportunity to experiment.

The best wine with duck depends on how it’s prepared - roasted, confit, or cooked in wine, like my recipe for duck casserole with red wine, cinnamon and olives.

The common factor is that duck is a fatty meat that tends to need a wine with some sharpness and acidity to cut through and some ripe fruit to contrast with the rich flesh.

Here are the wines I think work best, plus my pairings for 10 popular duck dishes.

Pinot Noir

Whether it’s a fine old burgundy or an exuberant full-bodied pinot from California, Chile, Oregon or the Central Otago region of New Zealand, Pinot Noir is almost always going to make people happy. (See this pairing for example.) If you’re roasting a wild duck or serving it plainly cooked you might want to go for a more delicate red burgundy*. If you’re serving super-rare duck breasts or duck that has some kind of Asian spicing (e.g. Peking duck), a sweeter, riper style might work better. Whatever. Think Pinot.

Merlot

Having made the point about acidity, I have to admit that Merlot, which often lacks it, goes rather well with duck, especially in Chinese-style pancakes with hoisin sauce. A Pomerol would be heaven.

Barolo

Barolo has the same affinity as Pinot and is a good wine match for simply cooked roast duck without too much in the way of powerful sauces or vegetable accompaniments

Tuscan reds e.g. Chianti

The Italians tend to cook their duck longer - often braising rather than roasting it. Chianti matches particularly well, especially if the sauce contains tomato and olives.

Bandol and other Mourvèdre

The dark, intense smokey notes of Mourvèdre are fabulous with duck, especially cooked with a red wine sauce. Or smoked duck as in this highly successful pairing of tea-smoked duck with Bandol.

Madiran and Marcillac

Tannic Madiran comes from the same area of the south-west France that produces foie gras - and therefore shedloads of confit duck. It’s delicious as you can see from this pairing but I’m not sure I don’t prefer the lighter, more rustic Marcillac. Or a Cahors

Beaujolais

Serious ‘cru’ Beaujolais like Morgon can be delicious with duck if you’re looking for a fruity, cherry-flavoured contrast (though its fruit may be wiped out by a cherry sauce). Particularly good with cold duck or duck rillettes, paté or terrines.

Late harvest riesling

If you’d rather serve a white with duck, an off-dry German spätlese or other late harvest riesling can be a delicious pairing. Especially if the duck is cooked with apples.

Gewürztraminer

Brilliant with duck curries, especially Thai red curry or a Thai-spiced salad like this Thai roast duck and watermelon salad. Also good if duck is served with fruit such as quince or oranges as in this smoked duck salad or duck à l’orange.

Wine pairings for 10 popular duck dishes

Let’s look at this the other way round, duck first!

Peking Duck - A classic Chinese way of cooking duck. The crispy skin and tender meat is often served in pancakes with spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce. Pair with a full-bodied pinot noir from e.g. New Zealand’s Central Otago region, a merlot or an Argentinian malbec.

Duck à l’Orange - An old school French favourite combining duck with a bitter orange sauce. It’s a great dish to pair with gewürztraminer or a spätlese or other off-dry riesling but a ripe grenache or grenache-based southern Rhône red would work equally well. If you were daring you could serve a Sauternes!

Duck with apple sauce
A traditional British way of serving duck which actually goes best with a dry German or Austrian riesling though I suspect most of your guests would expect a red wine like a burgundy or other light pinot noir.

Duck paté or rillettes
Like other charcuterie duck paté goes particularly well with Beaujolais and other light reds like cinsault or pais especially if they could be classified as ‘natural’.

Confit de Canard - A French classic of slow-cooked duck legs, sometimes served on its own, sometimes in a cassoulet. It originates from south-west France so try a wine from the region like a Cahors, Madiran or Marcillac with it.

Thai Red Duck Curry - Spicy and coconut-rich. The perfect match for an exotic gewurztraminer which mirrors the dish’s own spice 

Tea-Smoked Duck - A Chinese delicacy where duck is marinated, smoked over tea leaves and twigs, then roasted to achieve a distinctive flavour. Pair with: Bandol. The slight smokiness picks up on the smoke in the dish.

Roast Duck with Plum Sauce - A popular dish combining roasted duck with sweet plum sauce. Try a red wine that has some sweetness of its own such as primitivo or zinfandel. (Look out for the description appassimento which indicates the wine has been fermented on dried grapes or skins, giving it extra sweetness and intensity.) Australian shiraz would work too.

Bao Buns with duck - These soft buns filled with spicy duck are likely to be one of a selection of dishes in a relaxed, casual restaurant which might mean you just reach for a beer. Duck-friendly pinot would obviously work too.

Magret de Canard - A French dish featuring seared duck breast. It depends a little on what sauce is served with it - quite commonly fruit like cherries. Pinot noir again is a reliable go-to but a fuller-bodied cru Beaujolais like a Morgon would be a great match too. Or try a Belgian Kriek (cherry beer) 

Photo of crispy duck with pancakes by vsl and duck confit by nelea33. Both at shutterstock.com