Which wine with steak? Christmas dinner wine advice

Wine advice

Prices are indications per bottle; they vary by shop.

Smart up to €10

Full-bodied red

Malbec from Mendoza

Ripe fruit and rounded tannins.

Cabernet sauvignon

Chilean cabernet sauvignon

Firm, with blackcurrant.

Generous €10 to €25

Bordeaux

Haut-Médoc or cru bourgeois (cabernet, merlot)

A classic with red meat.

Mature tempranillo

Rioja Reserva or Ribera del Duero

Full, with gentle ageing.

All out from €25

Fine Bordeaux

Pauillac or Margaux (cru classé)

Structure and depth.

Barolo

Barolo (nebbiolo), ideally with a few years of age

The salt of the steak tempers the firm tannins.

Why this wine?

Steak brings umami but is usually well salted, and salt makes wine softer and less astringent. That is why a firmer red with more tannin works here than with most Christmas dishes.

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

With a sweet port sauce: a very dry, austere red. Sweetness in food makes it more bitter and sour; choose a riper, fruitier wine instead.

← All Christmas dishes

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Wine with steak