One Plus One: The Ultimate Wine and Steak Pairing Guide

Learning the proper way to pair wine and steak is one of the essential tools in your wine knowledge repertoire. Don’t be fooled by the idea that any red wine will be able to match any cut of red meat. A delicate Beaujolais has no place beside a meaty Porterhouse while a hefty Valpolicella Ripasso will drown out the subtle flavors of beef tartare. With the wide array of wines, cuts of meat, and ways to prepare it, your taste buds can go on quite the journey when it comes to these pairings.

The five characteristics of wine

Wine has five basic characteristics that allow us to categorize its taste:

• Sweetness: starts with the tongue and is our first impression of the wine.
• Acidity: is zest and tartness which is sometimes confused with alcohol.
• Tannin: can be confused with dryness since it can dry out your mouth. This is astringency and bitterness.
• Alcohol: is all about how much the wine warms your throat which is where you will taste it most.
• And body which is the measure of boldness in a wine.

A general rule for pairing wine and steak is to choose dryer reds overall and to combine leaner cuts of meat with lighter, juicier wines and fattier, richer cuts of meat with high tannin wines whose astringency can cut through the fat. Don’t forget, for your leaner meats a rarer cook is best to keep them tender. No good wine will save a piece of chewy, overcooked meat.

How to match your wine and your steak

Ribeye & Bone-in

One of the most flavorful cuts, the Ribeye or Bone-in has loads of marbling and natural tenderness. The Ribeye responds well to the dry heat of a hot grill, while the Bone-in—while adhering to the same rules—can be a little trickier to cook due to the cut of the width of the still attached rib bone.

For the Wine

If you’re doing a Ribeye on the grill, consider a Sonoma or Napa Valley Zinfandel or Texas Zinfandel or Primitivo. The high tannins will cut the fat or you can use a stronger fruit flavor wine for contrast.

Sirloin

You can season, sauce, and cook a Sirloin in many ways, which is why this fairly lean cut is one of the most common steak cuts. It works best with flexible wines that can move in whatever direction you’re choosing to take.

For the Wine

A Texas Tempranillo or aged Rioja Reserve along with a Syrah can both work for a Sirloin. Pay attention to your seasoning and change your wine accordingly.

Porterhouse and T-bone

These slightly different cuts both have the delectable combo of a tender filet side and a firmer, flavorful strip side. They can be booked in a pan, but a grill is a better bet to keep even doneness.

For the Wine

Look for a rich, red Aglianico to cut through the meaty flavor to deliver a pure fruit or a Northern Italian Barolo for an aromatic red with strong tannins.

Filet Mignon

There is no better or more beautiful cut than the Filet Mignon. These premium steak cuts are often served with sauces but prepared well it needs nothing more than a seasoning of salt and butter, pan-seared in butter.

For the Wine

For this cut, a Merlot or Merlot-based blend or a Texas Touriga Nacional will both deliver on the juicy, dark, and fruity flavors that will provide a subtle flavor companion while not overpowering the Filet Mignon.

Strip

A common, affordable cut, a Strip is a flexible option with slight variations on the cut. All-in-all, what you’re getting is a short loin cut that is tasty and tender when cooked properly. This cut responds well to resting longer and a cast iron pan with some salt and butter basting.

For the Wine

You won’t go wrong with a blend here. The GSM blend, which is the combination of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre will provide a lovely balance. You can also go for a Bordeaux-style blend, which has a distinctive nose, fruit-forward flavors, and refined tannins. Both these wines will complement the flavor of the Strip, while still cutting through the fat.

Rump

The Rump cut comes from the hard-working muscles of the rear. This makes it quite firm, but also very flavorful. It responds well to marinating, but that will make your wine selection all the more difficult.

For the Wine

A Dolcetto with its soft acidity and high tannins will work beautifully if you’ve marinated your Rump steak. If you’re going for a Steak Frites, the bold, forward flavor of a Texas Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic that can work with the more difficult preparation style involved in a Rump cut.

Brisket

While it has an almost mythical status among the offset smoker crowd, the Brisket is no common steak, and it is beloved in Texas. This cut responds to the low and slow style of smoking like no other cut of meat ever will. In fact, the hands-down best way to enjoy a brisket is with a smoker. Your wine choice here will be heavily influenced by what kind of wood chips you’ve opted to add to the smoker. Hickory, a common choice, imparts a tasty and unique flavor.

For the Wine

You’ll want something bold to compete with the strong flavor of a smoked brisket. For this, we recommend a Petite Sirah for its smoky, rich flavor, and bold tannins. Another option is a Texas Syrah/Shiraz whose smoother flavor will bring the smoky flavor of the meat to the front of the palette. What you ideally want is a wine that can complement and enhance that smokiness.

Final Thoughts

Ideal wine pairings can be a tricky thing but learning to pair wine and steak is a rare opportunity to expand your palette and explore beyond the traditional dry red often associated with red meat. The world of wine is vast, as is the world of steak, so get excited and be willing to play a little. You’d be amazed what next great recipe you’re going to find.