Which wine with Beef Wellington? Christmas dinner wine advice

Wine advice

Prices are indications per bottle; they vary by shop.

Smart up to €10

Soft red from the Rhône

Côtes du Rhône (grenache, syrah)

Ripe fruit, soft tannins.

Chilean pinot noir

Pinot noir from Casablanca or Leyda

Light and fruity, lovely with the mushrooms.

Generous €10 to €25

Mature tempranillo

Rioja Reserva

Ageing has softened the tannins; notes of dried fruit.

New World pinot noir

Pinot noir from Central Otago or Marlborough

Juicy fruit with an earthy note.

All out from €25

Red Burgundy

Burgundy premier cru (pinot noir)

Elegant, with notes of mushroom and forest floor.

Right Bank merlot

Saint-Émilion grand cru or Pomerol

Round and full, with soft tannins.

Why this wine?

Beef and mushrooms bring a lot of umami, and umami makes tannin harsher and fruit less noticeable. Choose a red with ripe, soft tannins and plenty of fruit, ideally with some age. The salt in the jus helps.

What matters here

Umami makes wine taste more bitter, more astringent and less fruity. Young, fruity, low-tannin wine works best; salt in the dish helps.
Salt makes wine softer and fuller, and less bitter or astringent: salty dishes are easy to match.

Better not

A young, firm cabernet sauvignon or nebbiolo: the umami of beef and mushroom makes that tannin harsh.

← All Christmas dishes

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Wine with Beef Wellington