The best wine pairings with Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is real treat and deserves an equally indulgent red wine to pair with it.

It is, however, less robustly flavoured than a steak or rib roast of beef with other key ingredients such as mushrooms and pastry which offset the flavour of the meat. So when picking a wine for Beef Wellington, you should consider flavour elements like: 

• Earthy umami mushrooms that call for a wine with similar savory or forest-floor notes
• Buttery pastry which can add a slight sweet note
• And of course the beef, which always commands a wine with plenty of structure

Given all of that, what to choose? 

Here are my top three wine pairings that I think fit the bill:

Good red burgundy and other pinot noir

Fillet steak - the cut that’s most commonly used for a Wellington - pairs particularly well with pinot noir - and that’s only improved by the mushroom duxelles (finely chopped mushrooms) in the filling. Think the best red burgundy you can afford with some bottle age (a 2017 vintage at the time of updating this entry in late 2023). A Chambolle-Musigny or Vosne-Romanée would be perfect if you can run to it. Top new world pinot from California, Oregon and New Zealand would also be great

For other great pinot noir pairings see here 

Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and other merlot-dominated Bordeaux

Also a top match though I’d suggest the right bank rather than the left - in other words merlot dominated wines such as Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, again at least 2-3 years old. Other good quality merlot from e.g. California would hit the spot too

Which other foods match well with merlot

Côte Rôtie (and aged shiraz)

In general I think syrah/shiraz is a bit powerful for a Wellington but Côte Rôtie from the northern Rhône has a finesse that would show both the dish and the wine off well. And I wouldn’t complain at a bottle of Grange or Hill of Grace!

Syrah also goes with these dishes.

Barolo

Beef Wellington isn’t a classic Italian dish but Barolo would be an excellent wine accompaniment.

Note: if you’re going for a top wine, particularly a delicate one go easy on the accompanying vegetables. Really buttery mash and maybe a few garlicky green beans or even peas would be perfect. Strongly flavoured veg like red cabbage would take it in another direction.

Similarly keep the sauce relatively light rather than dark, sticky and concentrated for these pairings

See also:

Which wine (or beer) to pair with roast beef

Image ©Goskova Tatiana at shutterstock.com

What to drink with the turkey leftovers

The answer to the question of what to drink with the Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey leftovers might well be ‘whatever wine’s left over’ - if there is any, of course - but if you’re looking for a wine or other drink to match specific dishes here are a few ideas.

It depends of course on whether you’re eating the turkey cold or reheated - in a creamy sauce like a turkey pot pie or tetrazzini for example or a turkey curry or stir-fry.

Turkey, like chicken, is a relatively bland meat, especially when it’s cold so it’s much more about the other ingredients or sides you serve with it.

The classic Boxing Day - or Black Friday - spread - cold turkey, ham, chips and pickles - or turkey sandwiches

Although they’re mainly cold the Boxing Day leftovers have enough in the way of Christmas flavours to call for a bright, fruity red.

My ideal pairings would be Beaujolais, Mencia, young Cabernet Franc from the Loire or a vividly fruity young Pinot Noir or Syrah but a fruity rosé would work equally well if you’re in the mood.

A sparkling cider, often overlooked at Christmas, would also be delicious - or a pale ale.

Turkey pot pie

Depends a little bit on the sauce but if you’re going for the classic béchamel I’d pick a creamy Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc. You could also go for a Viognier or a blonde ale.

Turkey Tetrazzini

An American-style pasta bake made with turkey, mushrooms, cheese - and sometimes a dash of sherry makes this a richer dish than the pie above. I’d go for an aromatic wine like a pinot gris myself. You could serve an traditional oaked white Rioja or - a bit of an off-the-wall choice - a crisp Savagnin from the Arbois region of France which works really well with hot cheesy dishes.

Turkey curry

The ideal wine pairing will depend on the sauce and how hot it is. Assuming you’re not blowing your guests’ heads off and it’s a relatively mild one I’d go for a strong fruity rosé or a Viognier. If you’re giving your turkey the Thai green curry treatment try an Alsace, New Zealand or Oregon pinot gris.

Asian-style turkey salad

If you’re adding some fresh south-east Asian flavours to your leftovers as in this fresh-tasting salad try an Australian Riesling or Austrian Gruner Veltliner. A zippy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc would work well too.

Image © stevem - Fotolia.com

Six of the best wines with a nut roast

You might be surprised that a nut roast isn’t that different from a conventional roast when it comes to finding a wine pairing.

The savoury flavours are designed to act as a satisfying substitute for meat and so work best with similarly full-bodied red wines.

Especially at Christmas you’re likely to be having them with the same kind of vegetables to the turkey - and possibly even the same gravy (so long as it’s not turkey stock-based, obviously).

There is one wild card though I probably wouldn’t serve with a turkey but would be terrific with a nut roast ....

Go on - be bold. I dare you!

Robust rhone or Languedoc red

Based on local grapes like grenache, mourvedre, cinsault and syrah the robust flavours of southern French reds work really well with the intensely savoury flavours of a nut roast. Other GSM (grenache/syrah/mourvèdre) blends should work too as would a northern Rhône syrah such as Crozes Hermitage

Cabernet sauvignon

Lots of nut roasts contain cheese and so pair well with cabernet, especially a cab with a couple of years’ bottle age

Pinot noir

If your nut roast contains mushrooms you’ll probably find a pinot goes well with it but I’d make it a medium to full-bodied one as opposed to a light youthful red burgundy

Chardonnay

Also a good match for a mushroom-rich nut roast, especially with a wild mushroom gravy. Though if there are chestnuts and a red wine gravy involved as in this recipe I’d again go for a red like a merlot or malbec.

Oaked white rioja

I’m sure the Spanish wouldn’t dream of it (I doubt they eat nut roasts anyway) but why not? One of the world’s most underrated whites

Amontillado sherry

Now this is a wild card and I wouldn’t serve it to a tableful of guests but if there’s just a couple of you and you’re sherry fans a medium dry amontillado sherry would be great.

Whatever wine you choose if you’re a veggie, or serving a nut roast to one, you need to check whether the wine is suitable for vegetarians - in other words that it’s not fined with any animal-derived products.

Photo © Monica Shaw

What wine to pair with goose

If you’ve decided to serve goose rather than turkey this Christmas you’ve already opted to be adventurous. So you could arguably be adventurous about your wine pairing too.

I say arguably because family members often get a bit odd around the festive season, digging their heels in and insisting on having something they’ve had hundreds - or at least tens of times - before.

Goose is, of course, stronger-flavoured than turkey - more like game but - crucially - quite a bit fattier which makes it essential in my book to look for a wine that has a fair level of acidity. It also tends to be accompanied by powerfully flavoured accompaniments such as chestnuts and red cabbage. Other traditional (and very good) accompaniments are potato stuffing, apples and prunes which can also affect your pairing:

Here are my suggested options...

Best wine pairings with goose

Top quality German or Alsace Grand Cru Riesling

Probably the best match of all if you’re planning an apple or apple and prune stuffing. A dry spätlese Riesling would be ideal, cutting through the fat and providing a subtle touch of sweetness. The drawback is that your guests may well expect a red - but there’s no reason why you can’t serve both. 

The best food pairings for riesling

Gewürztraminer

A bolder choice still for Christmas. Obviously it’s not to everyone’s taste but if you serve a slightly spicy stuffing, especially one that contains dried fruits and/or ginger it would make a great match. Again look for a top quality wine with some intensity from Alsace or New Zealand which is making some great examples.

The best food pairings for gewürztraminer

Barolo or Barbaresco

My preferred red wine with goose, Both have the structure and acidity to cope well with the rich flavour of the meat. They’re also impressive special occasion wines which is what you look for at Christmas. I wouldn’t be inclined to serve red cabbage with them though.

The best food pairings for Barolo and Barbaresco

Pinot Noir

Probably the most likely wine to please your guests and certainly the one to choose if you’re going for red cabbage, sweet potatoes or other richly flavoured veg. I’d choose an example with some sweet, silky fruit rather than big tannins otherwise you may suffer from palate overload.

The best food pairings for Pinot Noir 

Rioja gran reserva

A safe bet - just as good with goose as it is with game. Likely to be popular with older members of the party.

The best food pairings for Rioja 

Best beer pairings for goose

Strong Belgian trappist beers such as Chimay or beers made in that style

These are just as good a match for goose as wine is if truth be told but there are, admittedly, likely to be fewer takers. No harm in having one or two available though.

Oude gueuze

Probably the most off-the-wall choice on my list but for those who like it - and since writing my beer book An Appetite for Ale I now do - it’s a brilliant match.

A Goose Island beer

Well, why not? This Chicago-based bewery makes great beer and it would be a bit of a laugh to have a few bottles on the side. Wouldn’t go badly either. The most widely available one in the UK is the IPA (India Pale Ale).

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