The Ultimate Red Wine and Meat Pairing Guide

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Red wine and meat go together like peanut butter and jelly. And as the cool winter months slowly come closer, it’s time to start thinking about all those delicious slow-cooked meat roasts that will warm up the house!

Of course pairing meat and wine is never as easy as you think it’s going to be. There are just too many options! Learn some of the best red wine and meat pairings for a guaranteed dinner-time hit.

A general note is to think about the intensity of your dish: meat and sauce included. Intense wines should go with intensely flavorful and heavy dishes. Lighter wines should go with light dishes.

But a good experiment to determine perfect matches is always in order!

For a guide to white wine and fish, check here!

Confused by all the options? Check out this beginner’s guide to finding which wines are best for you!

Beef

Pairing beef with red wine is obvious. And like pairing fish and whites, there isn’t a single answer. After all, cows are large. There are multiple different cuts of beef that all have slightly different properties. And that affects which pairing is best.

Fatty Beef Cuts

Fatty cuts of beef are rich and, obviously, filled with veins of fat. These fat deposits can sometimes be on the surface of the meat and easily trimmed. But most of the time, the fat is intramuscular. Meaning it’s marbled throughout the muscles and you can’t get it out without destroying the meat.

Not that you want to! Marbling is a good thing. It keeps the meat moist and flavorful while it cooks. Fatty cuts will often be much more tender, softer, and juicier. The flavor profile will be stronger and fattier. Good examples?

• Prime Rib, Ribeye Steaks, T-Bone Steaks, Porter House (Filet Mignon, New York Strip)

You need a wine that will stand up to all that fat. In white wines we look for high acidity, but with red we want to look for high tannins. Tannins are a plant-based compound found in tea leaves, wood bark, chocolate, and the stems and skins of grapes. That velvety thick sensation that coats your tongue and teeth after a sip of red wine? That’s tannins.

Tannins create structure to the wine and serve as palate cleansers. They cut through all that fat that is coating your taste buds after every bite. Which means in the end, you get to taste more of the meat during your meal!

Wine Recommendations for Fatty Cuts: Choose highly tannic wines with bold flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon is an easy go-to choice and they tend to be crowd pleasers. Petite Sirah is also very high in tannic structure and strong flavor. If you want something a little fancier, choose a Nebbiolo from Italy. These wines require about 10 years of aging before they fully mature, so save it for a special treat!

Lean Beef Cuts

Lean cuts of meat tend to have much less intramuscular fat. They will often have some larger fat portions on the outside. Many recipes recommend you keep these large fat structures on a lean cut, since they’ll add otherwise-lost moisture! But even leaving all the fat on your lean beef won’t change it’s more delicate flavor.

These cuts have the tendency to dry out and lose flavor much more quickly. So you won’t need a bold red wine here.

Wine Recommendations: Go for a lighter, fruitier red. Try medium-bodied to light-bodied wines like Zinfandel, Merlot, or Sangiovese. Depending on your seasoning, you could even pair with a Grenache wine for a spicier meat.

Dry Aged Steak

I’m making a separate category for dry-aged steaks since they are considered “high quality meat.” If you’ve ever tried to purchase one, you are probably now keenly aware of how expensive that can be! Only the best quality meats are used. And the process itself is time consuming and results in a smaller yield. But in the end you have a steak with exceptional buttery texture and intense flavor.

Wine Recommendations: Pair it with something nice. If you’re going to spring for a fancy piece of meat, spring for the wine to go with it! Choose an equally pricey Amarone or Burgundy.

Stews

Beef stews also pair excellently with red wines, but it does depend a little on the base of the stew and what other components are added in! If your base is a red wine, keep in mind the style you choose and what flavors you want to highlight.

Adding in vegetables likely won’t change the flavor too much, especially if you are slow cooking for hours. But do consider spices! Savory and rustic stews are a little different in character from a spicy stew. Which change character yet again if you throw in tomatoes.

Wine Recommendations: Beef stews are hearty and warming, so don’t be afraid to choose a big bold wine. Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon are obvious choices. If you want to keep with the rustic vibe of most stews, go for a Côtes du Rhône. And if you have cooked it in a red wine base, choose a Burgundy. It’s traditional, but for a reason!

These wines also make a great hearty choice for a warm winter cocktail like cozy mulled red wine!

Poultry

There’s a common misconception that poultry and fish should never be paired with a red. While in many cases that’s a valid rule to live by, it’s not entirely true. Darker poultry like duck, quail, and goose meats pair excellently with red. And even chicken, depending how it’s cooks, will stand up to a red wine!

Chicken

Easy, versatile, tasty. Chicken appears on nearly every menu in nearly every part of the world. It’s such a ubiquitous food we use it to describe other meats! “Tastes like chicken!” It is the lightest of the common poultry, even the dark meat is lighter than others. Because of this, most people pair it with white. 

But a good roast chicken (especially if it’s been brined) is full of flavor and spice. So it will stand up to more weight in its pairing. And curried chicken or spiced chicken will overwhelm most whites.

Wine Recommendations: A perfectly roasted chicken will pair excellently with a light and fruity Pinot Noir, especially in the winter. If you’re going for curry or spicy chicken, try a Merlot. Or a Syrah if you’re going extra hot.

Duck

Now we’re getting into the fattier end of birds. Duck meat has very fatty skin. Most cooking methods render most of this fat off. But they also allow those rich fats and flavors to remain in the meat. The meat itself is already intensely flavorful and very dark. White wines, even big and bold ones, tend to taste somewhat insipid and flat next to something as powerful as seared duck breast or duck confit. (Curried duck is another matter, of course!)

Wine Recommendations: Pinot Noir is a favorite for duck pairing. But so are other acidic wines like Tempranillo or Sangiovese. Really anything that is grown in a colder climate will have the acidity you need! If you’re hunting for something that will pair with a roasted duck or a heavier cooking method, try Malbec or Syrah.

Quail

The cutest of the bunch! These tiny birds have a unique, concentrated flavor. You need very little to spice up a quail: salt, pepper, and some fat will do the trick. Their meat is very tender, a bit more flavorful than chicken, with a hint of wild game. Absolutely delicious. As long as you don’t mind the somewhat primal feeling of taking a whole bird in your hands to heat. They’re pretty small!

Wine Recommendations: Because quail are so delicate, you don’t want to punch them with a super dark, full, rich red. Stick with lighter, softer options. Gamay or Grenache work well. Primitivo, an Italian wine similar to Zinfandel, is incredibly fruity and just delicious with quail.

Goose

Ah, the Christmas Goose. Goose is actually the fattiest of all birds on this list. Even more so than duck! The meat is very dark and the flavor is very strong. It definitely tastes like a game bird. Even farmed geese taste like they came from your local pond.

Wine Recommendations: The fruity flavor of Beaujolais is really perfect for goose. Just make sure you get one on the fuller, older end. Too light and you’ll feel like your drinking grape juice with your fatty goose. If you cooked the goose with heavy sauces or want to cut the fat, tannic Nebbiolo or something from Bordeaux will work well.

Other Meats

Of course, beef and chicken isn’t all we eat. (Hopefully!) Meats like Lamb, Veal, and Pork pair equally well with red wines!

Lamb

Lamb is one of the most tender meats you can find. If it’s cooked well (and that’s medium rare for anyone questioning) it will melt like butter on your tongue. Truly dreamy. There is a bit of a gamey flavor to lamb. But it’s on the lighter side for red meats. The texture is more like a well-roasted chicken. Though the flavor will have more fruit and wild game.

Wine Recommendations: Chianti for lighter cooked lamb is an excellent red pairing. And if you want a more rustic feel, try a Côtes du Rhône. The tannins will be coarser, but you’ll feel like you’re at a village feast! Curried lamb will go with stronger reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. Though a white would work as well here.

Veal

Veal is definitely lighter and less firm than typical beef cuts. It’s tender and juicy and flavorful. But it is more delicate and less intensely “beefy” than a regular cut of steak. Because it’s on the lighter side it needs to be paired with lighter reds! This is even an option to switch to white…

Wine Recommendations: Stick with light reds: Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, young Beaujolais. These should be light, bright and fruity. You don’t need tannins to cut the fat in veal. They’ll just overwhelm it.

Venison

Venison is normally a very gamey red meat. It will be less tender and juicy than beef. But you’ll note a pleasant savory, herbaceous quality. Deer are herbivores so all of those lovely green herbs and plants will translate into their meat. It’s rich, smooth, and earthy. But you will notice the difference. It doesn’t taste domesticated.

Wine Recommendations: The earthy and wild flavors in venison pair very well with rustic wines like Côtes du Rhône. But a smoky, earthy, and peppery Syrah will also pair very well with the rich and smooth textures of the meat.

Pork

Pork is the lightest of all the meats above. (It is known as “the other white meat” after all!) I notice a markedly lighter taste, it’s almost sweet.  Which is why it pairs so well with fruit and apples! The texture is a little tougher than beef, especially if it’s over cooked. The meat is less delicate and can take a wide array of seasonings. Making it nearly as versatile as chicken…nearly.

Wine Recommendations: In general, I actually prefer white wine with pork as the flavors are much more complementary. However, if you need a red, go with light, fruity wines: Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chianti. Even a Malbec or a Rioja would pair well if you’re including apples or other fruit.

Goat

Definitely one of the rarer meats, goat is actually fairly common around farmer’s markets this time of year. It is the most gamey meat on this list, with a very distinctive flavor of earth. A younger goat will be much more tender and similar in texture to lamb. But older goat meat is as tough as you’d expect, so you’ll most likely be using it in stews.

Wine Recommendations: When pairing with goat you really need to remember the seasoning. Simply roasted younger goat meats pair similarly to lamb. Try Chianti or Grenache. If you’re going for a stew, try a Southern Rhône.

Sauces and Meat

While most sauces and seasonings will match with the pairings above, there are a few special ones that always seem to cause some questions!

BBQ Meats

Meats that have been barbecued or smoked have a much stronger flavor than a simple roast or sear. Especially once you add on the sauce! Barbecue sauce tends to have notes of tomato and vinegar, a sort of sweet and sour combination. With added notes of tang and smoke. Often times spicier sauces will have chili or mustard flavors as well.

Wine Recommendations: Spicy Syrah pairs perfectly with Barbecued Meats. Especially some of the lighter ones like chicken or pork! Tempranillo or Cabernet Sauvignon are best for ribs or beef because they have a much more savory flavor.

Mexican-Spiced Meats

My all-time favorite cheat day food? Mexican! Growing up right by the border in Texas I developed a love of all foods Mexican. (How have Christmas tamales not caught on everywhere?!) Up on the East Coast, most people see Mexican food as a summer dish. And it’s understandable why! Bright spices like coriander, cumin, and chili powder are the mainstay. Additions of avocado, lime, and paprika are even lighter. But Mexican food is also heavy on carbs: tortillas, maize (corn), rice, and beans. Which means a light and fruity red is in order as well!

Wine Recommendation: For most Mexican-style sauces and meals, I tend to go with white wines, honestly. They are crisp and acidic and serve to brighten the meal better than a red. But reds do add a lovely fruity character. This is definitely an instance to stick with “what grows together goes together.” Pair with Spanish wines like Rioja or a young Garnacha that won’t overwhelm your taste buds!

Tomato Sauces

It’s hard to imagine beef without adding tomato sauce in there somewhere: spaghetti and meatballs, beef stews, and meatloaf are just a few that spring to mind. Tomato sauces are typically pretty hearty dishes. But they can range in flavor from spicy and savory to tangy and sweet!

Wine Recommendations: Finding one wine that will pair with all tomato sauces is remarkably hard. Chianti works well with light tomato sauces and spaghetti dishes. For heavier, slow roasted tomato dishes try a Sangiovese. Spicy tomato sauces with pasta go very nicely with Primitivo.