Wine and roast beef; here is a food and wine pairing you should remember. A traditional French meal and an exceptional dish, roast beef is always a delight for gourmets and food lovers. However, a good food and wine pairing is necessary to sublimate this dish and give it all the grandeur it deserves. In this article, the teams at Château Cantenac Brown give you all the keys to making a perfect match.
Red wine: traditional pairing with roast beef
The natural accompaniment to roast beef is, of course, red wine. However, any red wine will be far from being able to sublimate such a beautiful piece of beef as the roast.
First of all, the choice of an 1855 Grand Cru Classé such as Château Cantenac Brown is necessarily indicated. The sublimation of the Merlot and the delicate expression of the Cabernet Franc make this grand cru a top choice for such a match. In this case, we recommend that you turn to a vintage of about ten years old. The first evolutions and the presence of tannins will contribute to the sublimation of your food and wine pairing.
In addition, the South West and Languedoc Roussillon also offer interesting possibilities for a more fleshy match. In which case, make sure you also turn to vintages that have already evolved and avoid years that are too sunny.
Finally, the wines of the Loire Valley offer a playground to achieve sublime pairing in the delicacy and greed. You can turn to the wines of the AOC Chinon whose Cabernet Franc will be able to face the power of the meat while offering a freshness to your pairing. The latter will contribute to make the meal more digestible and offer a little lightness to your table.
Rosé: a possibility to be considered carefully for roast beef
Rosé lovers can rest assured: it is possible to serve roast beef with rosé. However, you should be careful: not all rosés will go with your roast, far from it! So, if you want to go with a rosé, we recommend choosing a rosé from southern Burgundy or the southwest. The character of these rosés can potentially be confronted with the power of the meat.
Wines to avoid with roast beef
Thus, roast beef has the advantage that it can be paired with a wide variety of wines. However, we recommend that you forget about white wines with such a dish. They will not be able to compete with the power of the meat and will be difficult to match with the rare side of your meat.
Now that you have all the keys to a successful wine and roast beef pairing, we wish you an excellent tasting. For even more ideas, you can also discover our wine and prime rib or wine and mutton pairings.