Steak wines

We’ve all seen it written a thousand times as part of a tasting note to a ball-tearing, chest-beating 15+% alcohol shiraz from Barossa / McLaren Vale / Heathcote etc. “Best drunk with a rare-cooked fillet / rib of beef / brontosaurus steak" etc.

Is it true to assume that the bigger and bolder the wine, the better it will go with a steak? Or has it just become a throw-away line?

Here are the thoughts of David Lawler, Head Sommelier at the famous Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne, famed for its focus on fine meat.



Huge warmer-climate shiraz tends to “drown out the complexity of the beef,” he says, while tannins are an integral part of a good match, acting as a foil for the proteins in the beef.

His 5 tips:
1) Cool climate shiraz, from the Adelaide Hills (SA) or Pemberton (WA)
2) Nebbiolo from the Adelaide Hills (SA) or Piedmont (Italy)
3) Cabernets from Margaret River (WA)
4) Strong tasting pinot noir.
5) For white-only drinkers, semillon sauvignon blanc blends from the Yarra Valley (Vic)


I agree. Some of the more massive reds are not really a viable food match with anything – they simply overpower whatever is on the plate. There is a bit of a move now towards more savoury, highly-textured red varieties in Australia (sangiovese, dolcetto and nebbiolo from Italy most famously, tempranillo from Spain, pinot noir gains an ever greater following and is just a great all-rounder food-wise).

A couple of my tips for great steak wines from Mr Lawler's suggestions – some are hard to find but worth seeking out.

Adelaide Hills shiraz – Romney Park, Setanta, Shaw & Smith, Petaluma
Pemberton shiraz – Picardy
Adelaide Hills nebbiolo – Protero, Bowe Lees, Parish Hill, Hermitage Premium Wines
Dolcetto d’Alba works for me, as well as nebbiolo from Piedmont
Margaret River cabernet – Cape Mentelle Trinders, Moss Brothers Wilyabrup Margaret River cab merlot
Pinot noir – Ashton Hills Reserve, Riposte, Leabrook Estate (Adelaide Hills), Moorooduc, Paringa Estate (Mornington Peninsula), Dalrymple, Stefano Lubiana (Tasmania)

As another red, and one with genuine structure and firm tannin (quite rare in Australia!) I’d recommend searching for Bowe Lees tannat (tannat is the red variety of Madiran in South West France). Abundant black fruit, spice and anise; it’s at the big end of things and usually carries quite a high alcohol level, but the chewy texture and tannin just cries out for steak. The newly-released 2008 is more approachable in its youth than previous vintages.

If I had to drink white with good steak (and it would be because there’s no red available), it would have to have texture too, preferably a slatey riesling from Polish Hill River or Henty, or a pinot grigio from Veneto (either served at least at 8°C).

Anyone have any other suggestions?