WineLovers Discussion Group

Bob Noland wrote:Tom, One of my favorite matches with steak recently was actually a Piedmonte Nebbiolo with a nearly 2 inch thick steak cooked in a fireplace at a great little place up the mountain from Arenzano in Italy. Normally I would probably follow the general rule of Cal Cab, Zin, or a hearty PN but you know I like to break all the traditional rules

Hi Bob,

Yeah, I know. Like the time had 3 ... well nevermind. I can definitely see nebbiolo going with steak. What I have more difficulty seeing is me affording a good Barolo with my steak.

Tom N. wrote:Hi Bob,
Yeah, I know. Like the time had 3 ... well nevermind. I can definitely see nebbiolo going with steak. What I have more difficulty seeing is me affording a good Barolo with my steak.

Ditto!

Tom N. wrote:

Bob Noland wrote:Tom, One of my favorite matches with steak recently was actually a Piedmonte Nebbiolo with a nearly 2 inch thick steak cooked in a fireplace at a great little place up the mountain from Arenzano in Italy. Normally I would probably follow the general rule of Cal Cab, Zin, or a hearty PN but you know I like to break all the traditional rules

Hi Bob,

Yeah, I know. Like the time had 3 ... well nevermind. I can definitely see nebbiolo going with steak. What I have more difficulty seeing is me affording a good Barolo with my steak.

Ahh but good does not mean expensive... The Nebbiolo was not expensive (14 Euro's I believe at the restaurant) but did go so very well with the steak. Maybe it was that olive oil they put on the steak

Bob Noland wrote:Ahh but good does not mean expensive... The Nebbiolo was not expensive (14 Euro's I believe at the restaurant) but did go so very well with the steak. Maybe it was that olive oil they put on the steak

Hi Bob,

Maybe in Italy they are inexpensive. The cheapest nebbiolo I have ever purchased in Canada was about $20+ CAN. That was not a barolo (langhe, I think) but I did have it with Christmas dinner a few years ago. I just talked to Cody. We are having prime rib roast for Christmas dinner. I mentioned old world cab or barolo as a possible match and he said YES! Barolo . So, I am pulling one of my two barolos from my wine fridge for Christmas dinner. A 2000 barolo. What are you opening up for Christmas dinner?

Tom N. wrote:

Bob Noland wrote: So, I am pulling one of my two barolos from my wine fridge for Christmas dinner. A 2000 barolo. What are you opening up for Christmas dinner?

Interesting question, we normally do have steak so I will have to see what is lurking in the cellar begging to be opened

Like Mark L and a few others here, I prefer a steak prepared medium rare, usually a ribeye, sometimes a strip. With the higher fat content in these cuts, I am looking for a tannic red. CalCab, young Bordeaux, syrah, Rhone are the usual suspects.

Steak with any pinot noir sounds like a waste to me....the wine is often low tannin and too light to stand up to a grilled ribeye. Some zins may have enough tannin but I usually reserve the zins for BBQ.

When it comes to lower fat beef such as tenderloin, pinot noir becomes an option as does older Bordeaux. But a lot of the cab sauv wines are still in play as well.

MikeH wrote:Steak with any pinot noir sounds like a waste to me....the wine is often low tannin and too light to stand up to a grilled ribeye..

I don't drink much domestic PN (so can't comment), but I don't think one is likely to find a shortage of tannins in young NSG, Gevrey, or Corton from a hefty vintage. Lots of Burgundian restaurants serve the locally ubiquitous Charolais, I doubt you see many people wishing they could have a CS based wine. As noted, I generally look to young CalCab or Bordeaux. But most young vigorous reds with tannins can do fine.

MikeH wrote:Like Mark L and a few others here, I prefer a steak prepared medium rare, usually a ribeye, sometimes a strip. With the higher fat content in these cuts, I am looking for a tannic red. CalCab, young Bordeaux, syrah, Rhone are the usual suspects.

Steak with any pinot noir sounds like a waste to me....the wine is often low tannin and too light to stand up to a grilled ribeye. Some zins may have enough tannin but I usually reserve the zins for BBQ.

When it comes to lower fat beef such as tenderloin, pinot noir becomes an option as does older Bordeaux. But a lot of the cab sauv wines are still in play as well.

Hi Mike,

I tend to agree with you on this one, pinot with lower fat steak. A topnotch burg might have enough tannin to go with a high fat steak but it might not. What do you think of a barolo with a high fat steak like rib or ribeye?

Tonight my steak wine was a 1998 Ch. Fortia Chateauneuf-du-Pape with grilled ribeyes. Plenty of aromatic complexity, medium+ bodied, and still enough structure to stand up to the fat. A good combination.

Steve Kirsch wrote:Tonight my steak wine was a 1998 Ch. Fortia Chateauneuf-du-Pape with grilled ribeyes. Plenty of aromatic complexity, medium+ bodied, and still enough structure to stand up to the fat. A good combination.

Hi Steve,

CdP with steak sounds like a fine match to me. I just love GSMs and think they go well with steak or any type of hearty red meat. I like them with grilled steaks and ribs also.