Food and Wine Matching - Beef

Overall Winner:  Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a surprisingly excellent wine match but any low tannin red wine will fit the bill.

Cottage Pie :  Beaujolais or fruity Vin de Pays Reds
Cottage Pie needs a low tannin Red wine with little or no oak influence.

Chilli Con Carne : Zinfandel
For chilli-dishes select a ripe, lush wine like a Zinfandel to stand up to the spiciness of the dish.

Beef Bourguignon: Red Burgundy or Merlot
Red Burgundy is the traditional match for Beef Bourguignon, Merlot dominated blends from both Australia and Bordeaux.

Steak and Kidney Pie: Cabernet-Sauvignon based wines
Red Bordeaux in particular, can be enjoyed more fully. A weighty Pinot Noir or a robust Ribera del Duero Tempranillo wine is also fine.

Beefburgers: Everyday Southern French Reds
A Gigondas / Vacqueyras from the Southern Rhone or a rich, peppery red wine like a Zifandel.
 
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce:  Dolcetto and Barbera
in particular, or any medium-bodied Italian red wines with soft tannins.

Beef en Croute Roast Beef: Mature Red Bordeaux
The rule is : avoid wines high in tannin. Any mature Red which has shed the tannins of its youth will suffice.

Steak and rare Roast Beef: big Red Bordeaux  or Red Rhône
These dishes are some of the few food opportunities for drinking a tannic, powerful wine. The chewy texture of the meat makes tannins more supple, so this is the occasion to have a big Red Bordeaux (esp. Pauillac, St Estephe) or Red Rhône (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cote-Rotie, Gigondas).

Contact us for a wine recommendation to match a dish not on this page.

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