The Best Red Wine To Marinate Beef With

There are many ingredients that will give your marinade a flavor boost, but red wine has to be one of the best for beef. But with so many options to choose from it can be difficult to know which red wine is the best pick for the job. Curious about how the professionals handle the problem, we brought the topic up when we recently spoke with Chef Laurent Tourondel who operates several highly successful restaurants including New York's L'Amico.

"A dry red wine with moderate tannins, such as cabernet sauvignon or merlot, is ideal because it balances acidity and bold flavors without overpowering the meat," Tourondel told Tasting Table. While these varieties may not be the most adventurous on the market, since they're being used as cooking wine, they don't need to be. And their popularity and availability make either of them an excellent choice.

As Tourondel pointed out, the steak should still be the star of the show and the level of tannins is going to carry over to the palate. There is a considerable range of how tannic cabernet sauvignon can be, so between the two, a merlot would be a safer option if you want something a little more velvety. The opposite is also true, where a cabernet sauvignon would be a better choice if you want your beef to have that mouth-puckering acidity that tannins are known for.

While cabernet sauvignon and merlot are both great baselines to work off of, not all marinades are made the same. For example, a red wine burger marinade is going to look slightly different from a steak marinade. "Potent herbs and spices may pair better with a robust wine, while a more delicate marinade might work well with a lighter, fruitier red variety," Laurent Tourondel explained.

When thinking of robust wines that pair well with a strong herbal marinade, we're dreaming of a bold syrah (also known as shiraz) or maybe even a zinfandel. Both of these have distinct notes of peppercorn and dark berries which make them perfect for when you want a little bravado in your beef marinade. Speaking of bravado, a bourbon marinade on steak is a tasty trick for getting a nice char.

But sometimes the moment calls for something a little softer, in which case Tourondel proposed a lighter touch. We suggest trying a pinot noir or a gamay as both have that light tannin and red fruit flavor profile. Of course, these are just recommendations, not handcuffs. If none of these red wines are readily at hand, comparable flavor profiles will make fine substitutes so long as you understand the fundamentals.