Finding the best wine and food pairings isn't something to take for granted, but a delicate union that recalls a love story: harmony, balance, but also a sense of challenge are necessary to create a magical experience. If instead the two characters clash, evoking unpleasant suggestions, the risk of ruining everything is just around the corner.
That's why when faced with meat dishes with decisive flavours - like beef steaks - you need an equally determined wine that creates a stimulating encounter of flavours.
With this guide to pairing steak and wine, choosing the right bottle will be child's play!
Fillet and wine
The fillet is a cut of meat that corresponds to the loin-sacral part of the bovine (though this term is also used in reference to pork), an area that is rarely put under stress during the animal's life, which is why it remains tender and free from sinew.
These characteristics, as well as the limited dimensions compared to the entire mass of the specimen (about 3-4 kg), make the fillet a precious and expensive ingredient, to be used for elegant dishes. However, it can also be used in the preparation of refined steaks, provided you select the appropriate cooking method. Generally, fillet lends itself well to a quick searing in a pan with a drizzle of oil or butter, so as to seal the meat and preserve its juiciness.
The fillet has a rather delicate flavour compared to other cuts, which requires a wine with good structure, but with a soft character and not too sharp tannins, like a Merlot. This popular and versatile wine gives great satisfaction in its various international interpretations, but to create a good pairing between red meat and wine, in this case a Merlot Alto Adige DOC 2020 is particularly apt, decisive but courteous.
The garnet red colour anticipates the organoleptic richness, which surprises with articulated notes of elderberry, berries, dried figs, pepper and star anise. The sip that follows, however, refuses opulence, refreshing the palate with a lively taste and delicate tannins.
What wine to choose for sirloin?
A bit less precious, but still tender, the sirloin is a cut of meat found in the upper part of the animal's thigh. The slices obtained from it present a layer of fat that runs along one side of the steak and keeps it succulent during cooking. This feature supports longer preparation methods without the meat drying out too much.
Besides representing an excellent cut for grilling, sirloin - with its notable thickness - also lends itself well to being cooked in a pan, then sliced directly on the plate, as happens with tagliata.
At a sensory level, sirloin has a more robust and intense flavour, due to the higher percentage of fat. An excellent wine for this steak is therefore a label with full-bodied aromas, even better if a bit spicy, like an Amarone Valpolicella DOCG 2020.
The success of the encounter between Amarone and sirloin steak is easily explained: just bring your nose to the glass to be enveloped by its complex and intense notes of raisins and spices, with a balsamic undertone that provides a particular tasting experience. In the mouth it is full-bodied and elegant, decisive, but balanced by subtle tannins that don't cover the flavour of the meat, but rather enhance it.
Wine for rib steak
The rib steak is a cut of meat that corresponds to the dorsal part of the specimen and includes the presence of bone. It is generally cut to obtain a notable thickness, which reduces the risk of the meat drying out too much during cooking. However, it's important to adopt some precautions during steak preparation, for example scoring the lateral fat band with the tip of a knife so that it doesn't shrink with heat, and cooking the meat on a very hot surface for the first few minutes, then continuing at moderate heat. At the end of cooking, it's also advisable to let the meat rest for a few minutes before serving.
These elements make ribeye an excellent cut for barbecue, a method that enriches the already decisive flavour of the meat and imparts a smoky flavour that appeals so much to lovers of the grill. It goes without saying that the wine to pair must be equally full-bodied, like a Cabernet Sauvignon.
One of the best Cabernet Sauvignons for a steak of this type is an Australian label: the "Sexy Beast" Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Valley 2022. Seductive as the name promises, this wine owes its characteristics to the particular Mediterranean climate of the McLaren Valley, which softens the austerity of the grapes and gives them softness and maturity. On the nose, flavours of dark berries emerge and a spirited character that returns to the palate. The mature tannins are accompanied by floral suggestions and a nuance reminiscent of incense, perfect for accompanying the flavours of grilling.
Wine to pair with ribeye
The cut called ribeye comes from the rib of the animal, an area that - as in the case of topside - is put little under stress, and therefore maintains a certain softness. The succulence is also amplified by the fact that the cut is surrounded by a good presence of fat (creating a shape similar to an eye, as the name suggests), which prevents drying during preparation and also contributes to giving the steak a rich and decisive flavour.
An excellent wine to accompany it is a Las Moras Paz Malbec, an Argentine specimen that makes itself known among full-bodied red wines and focuses everything on vivacity and aromatic richness.
This Reserve wine - obtained from a maturation period in American oak of over 15 months and a further refinement of 6 months in bottle - expresses its character through the bright violet-red colour and the fruity, woody and pleasantly toasted aromatic bouquet. Notes of plum, coffee and chocolate emerge in particular, whilst on the palate the structure is good and the tannins are present, but not too intrusive.
For preparation, both pan and barbecue work well, or a mixed technique called reverse sear, which involves a first phase in a fan oven at low temperatures, and rapid subsequent cooking at direct high-temperature fire, so as to maintain a soft and juicy internal consistency and create an inviting external crust.
What wine to pair with topside?
A lean cut ideal for tartare, strips, escalopes and steaks, topside occupies the internal part of the animal's thigh, an area that has little fat, but which still allows you to obtain slices with a tender consistency. Unlike fillet, topside occupies a large portion of the animal - reaching up to about 15 kg - and for this reason is quite economical.
Topside steaks give their best if cooked in a pan, for a duration of 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat, usually limited. The flavour is decisive, but less marked compared to fattier cuts of meat, which is why from the cellar you can choose a wine of medium structure and with little aggressive tannins, like a "Peiragal" Barbera d'Alba DOC 2022.
Fruity and pleasantly spiced, this Piedmontese red conquers the senses with intense aromas of berries, cinnamon and vanilla, presenting itself from the outset as an elegant and bewitching product. Its ability to accompany a flavourful but not too intense preparation like topside steak is due to the sweet tannins.
Now that you know how to pair wine and steak, prepare for your dinners and barbecues with friends by purchasing the best labels on Svinando!