Wine enhances the tastes of steak and drink.

Great wines match well with steak’s salty, fatty, umami butteriness with their acidity and sweetness. Take a deep drink and enjoy the taste of wine with steak.

Enjoying a dry-aged Wagyu beef fillet at a restaurant, preparing a ribeye steak for yourself on a Tuesday night, or celebrating a promotion or an anniversary at a steakhouse, all make for greater occasions when paired with the perfect wine.

Not a wine expert? Not sure how to recognize steak kinds or find the best pairs? Do not worry. With a little steak and wine knowledge, you can create an incredible culinary experience in your home kitchen. 

Read on to learn! 

Note on Steaks

The pairing of a steak with a wine depends on two main elements: fattier steaks should be served with lighter wines, while seasoned steaks can be paired with any wine. Sweet steaks should be served with light, sweet, refreshing wines.

The Best Wine with Steak

To enjoy steak cocktails, start with an excellent red wine. This is our favourite wine as Australians, right? Old Fashioned is delicious with bourbon, but white wine doesn’t pair well with steak. Red meat pairs well with beef, while white goes with chicken or fish. Pork pairs well with any category.

Let’s start with our top 5 steak-pairing red wines.

• Cabernets

Cabernet, the “people pleaser” of red wines, is always a good choice. There are several cabernets with a balanced taste that’s great for novices. Cabernets’ strong acidity cuts through fatty and umami dishes, giving them a great tanginess that pairs well with meat. Cabernet grapes grow worldwide. Avoid believing foreign wine is always better. While France and Chile are known for excellence, Napa Valley in California produces world-class cabernets.

• Zinfandel

Zinfandel is a sweeter wine with high sugar content, suitable for wine with 15% alcohol or conserved. It pairs well with hot, peppery steaks but avoids brown sugar-glazed ones. California Zinfandels are affordable and delicious.

• Malbec

Malbec is a strong red wine with a dark hue and a tannin-rich taste. Malbec has a delicious scent with juicy citrus and other fruits, neither woody nor oaky. The Malbec should be dark crimson or nearly violet. 

Malbec pairs well with lean steaks like top sirloin and flank steak because of its fruity taste and robust fragrance. Malbec may be served with fillet mignon, although its richness may overpower the steak.

Which nation makes the best Malbec? Argentina is great, but France and California also create great Malbecs.

• Syrah (Shiraz)

Syrah is a versatile red wine that pairs well with ribeye steaks due to its rich and fatty nature. Its rich, peppery, acidic, and tannin-rich taste is best in mild climes like the Rhone Valley in France, while its fuller-bodied, softer tannins and fruity taste make it ideal for ageing.

• Choose Your Favourite Red

Pairing red wine with steak is easy if you choose your favourite wine. Personal tastes are key to fine eating, so don’t be afraid to try new foods. Enjoy your evening without impressing food or wine snobs. Enjoy your meal with anything you like, and experiment with different wines to find the perfect steak-wine match.

Creating a Flavour Story

Experimentation, mixing and matching, and trying combinations you enjoy are the keys to crafting a delicious taste narrative for your dinner.