Treat your taste buds – How to pair a great wine with a great steak
Few things in life compare with sitting down to a perfectly done steak in good company. But, adding the right wine makes all the difference.
Taste, as we all know, is completely subjective. When it comes to pairing wine with meats, this is as true as it is anywhere else. Hardliners will insist on certain pairings, but your individual preference should trump traditions.
Simply, at the end of the day, your choices should reflect your taste buds’ unique favourite flavours.
Rule of thumb
With this said, there are certain pairings that persist because they really do work well together to produce a wonderful taste experience.
Complementing wine with red meat is a complex topic (and again, different palates have differing opinions), but there are a few guidelines to help you on your way to finding those top picks.
The general rule when it comes to red meat is this: balance like with like.
Okay, so that seems a bit cryptic on first glance, but it should become clearer. Let’s start with a tender cut.
1. Fillet
The fillet, being far from the legs and neck (where the muscles do the heaving lifting and therefore have a coarse texture), is the most tender cut of beef.
The relative absence of connective tissue and intra-muscular fat (marbling) means that it should be served rare. When done right, a fillet will melt in your mouth.
The fillet’s leanness, however, results in the cut having a more subtle flavour than cuts with higher amounts of intra-muscular fat. The pairing trick here is to avoid overpowering the subtle taste with a red that’s too bold.
So, look for a light red. The Pinot Noir is a common suggestion, and because it’s low-tannin and high acidity, it’ll help to cut through the finely textured meat.
In other words, it adds even more tenderness to an already exquisitely soft steak.
A slightly bolder wine, Sangiovese, can also be regarded as a good complement for those who’d like to keep the ‘tenderising’ effect of the wine whilst bulking up on the strength of its flavour.
2. Rump
When we get to the rump, we’re looking at a cut that nicely combines tenderness with increased flavour due to an increased amount of marbling (intra-muscular fat).
All steaks with appreciable marbling should be cooked to medium-rare or medium. This allows the fat to break down and coat the texture of the meat, adding to its taste.
Because the rump draws on the best of both worlds, a wine that offers significant body without overpowering the steak is recommended. A Merlot is great option here. It’s medium-bodied whilst retaining its softness.
3. Ribeye
The ribeye is often regarded as the most richly flavoured beef steak available. This is due to its beautiful marbling. As with the rump, the ribeye should be cooked to medium-rare or medium to ensure a breakdown of the fat.
The melting of the fat in the ribeye makes it an absolute favourite for beef lovers the world over.
Like we said earlier: balance like with like.
In this context it means introducing a full-bodied, fruity and high tannin red into the mix. A Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely something to consider.
High tannin wines have strong astringent qualities: that is, they act as a great palate cleanser removing the coating of fat left by the ribeye. Each bite, therefore, is as rich an experience as the previous bite.
4. Sauces
When shopping for a wine to best complement your meal, remember that South African wines just keep getting better
We haven’t mentioned sauces here, and the topic is every bit as complex as complementing wine with an unadorned steak. The principle remains the same, though.
Let the flavour intensity of the wine balance with the flavour intensity of the sauce.
In brief, many steak sauces pair well with medium- and full-bodied wines. Think Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Bordeaux.
We haven’t gone into as much detail as our readers deserve (especially those well acquainted with the many finer nuances of wines’ intricate properties), but hopefully we’ve pointed you in the right direction.
Ask for Karan Beef
A great steak and wine pairing starts with a high quality steak. Karan Beef offers just that – at a budget-friendly price!
Find your nearest Karan Beef branded store and ask the butcher for the very best.
