The Wine You Should Be Pairing With Steak Diane

The retro dish steak Diane continues to grace menus at classy establishments, offering beef tenderloins swimming in a rich sauce. Tender slices of meat paired with a boozy bath of buttery mushrooms and pan juices combine to make a recipe that stands out as special. Matching this somewhat ostentatious presentation with a suitable wine may seem a challenge, so we spoke to Matthew Kreider, executive chef at Steak 954 in Fort Lauderdale, for tips on how to go about the task. Steak 954 restaurant has earned accolades as one of America's 100 Best Wine Restaurants for four successive years from Wine Enthusiast Magazine, so if anyone has a solid idea about matching steak and wine with gusto, it's Kreider. 

"Try a pinot noir," he quickly suggested. "I think some of the spice notes would lend itself well." Glasses of medium-bodied pinot noir can present just the right quantity of smooth tannins to help wash down mouthfuls of sauce-drenched steak while tingling palates with earthy, spicy, and fruity waves of flavor. 

Keep in mind that styles of pinot noir can differ, so you may want to conduct some taste tests to find the varieties that offer the right amount of weight to hold up against your next steak Diane dinner. Heartier pinot noirs can present the kind of peppery undertones that can help shine a light on the mustard and Worcestershire sauce often used to make the Diane sauce. As you embark on your pinot noir-tasting journey, you may notice waves of earthy fruits and vanilla spice that can complement any mushrooms on the plate. 

Barrel-aged pinot noirs will delight sippers with a spicier palate that can include cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, all flavors that can complement the sauce for which steak Diane is known for. Note the tasting differences between labels so that the next time you plan on wowing dinner guests with presentations of saucy meat, you'll have the perfect bottle in mind to pour confidently alongside masterful plates of delicious steak. And if you're out in a restaurant, ask the sommelier or wine server to talk you through what kinds of pinot noirs they offer; it might give you inspiration for what to buy at home to accompany a historic steak Diane meal.