Steak goes so well with red wine, it almost doesn’t matter what is the best wine with steak. There is really nothing better than a juicy steak, or a full-flavored red wine, other than a perfectly paired hearty steak and favorite wine. You might think red wine with steak is already a good match, but it has to be the right type of steak and wine. Here are our tips below for the best wine to pair with steak of different varieties.
What Wine Goes With Steak
Filet Mignon
Since Filet Mignon is a tender cut with less fat, it usually has a delicate flavor which is served with many sauces. The sauce is an important element of wine pairing. The best wine with filet mignon is a light Pinot Noir if you serve it with simple salt and pepper seasoning. This wine will complement the gentle flavors without overpowering them. If you serve filet mignon with a more flavorful sauce, the best red wine, in that case, would be a heavy pinot noir, merlot, syrah, malbec or a rich chardonnay.
Ribeye
Being the most flavorful, juiciest cut of steak, Ribeye is best paired with Cabernet Sauvignon. One of our popular Cabernet Sauvignons is Sempre Vive. This wine has high tannins that help cut through the juiciness and fattiness. Another good option is Zinfandel which has a fruitiness that contrasts well to the full-flavored meatiness of the cut.
When seasoning Ribeye, keep it simple. You can’t go wrong with salt and pepper. Or, if you’re feeling a bolder flavor, spice things up with paprika. If you do choose a more flavorful spice, pair it with Merlot, Zinfandel or Bordeaux.
New York Strip
The best red wine with steak in the case of the New York Strip is a Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the most commons wine for the New York strip because of the medium tenderness, with rich beefy flavor. The wine contrasts the meatiness nicely and balances the fattiness of the palate.
However, if you serve a nice light salad with a Dijon dressing on the side instead of the traditional heavier mashed potatoes typically served, it would pair nicely with a Pinot Noir or even Rose. Since this cut of meat is the middle of the road in terms of flavor and texture, in this circumstance has a wider range. This is a good reminder that it’s important to consider the flavors of the whole meal when choosing wine.
Porterhouse
Porterhouse steaks are often served with rich sauces, like bearnaise, which makes this cut pair well with red with high tannins – like a Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. If the porterhouse is served with simple preparation, it will pair nicely with a Syrah which helps balance out the intensity.
Hopefully, the above tips give you some direction for how to pair all sorts of different types of wine and steak. In general, the best rule of thumb is to go for medium to full-bodied red wine if you aren’t sure. These are only general rules to help set you on the right path to start experimenting for yourself. It’s hard to go wrong.
Now that you’re a pro at pairing wine with steak – we recommend you learn about how to pair wine with fish as well!
