What wine goes with steak?

Cabernet Sauvignon is the classic steak wine, and Malbec is the cheaper pick that does the same job — both have the tannin that fatty beef needs.

Steak and big red wine is a cliché because it genuinely works. Fat coats your tongue, tannin scrubs it off, and you get a clean bite every time. The only real question is how much you want to spend and how the steak is cooked.

4 bottles that actually work with steak

• 1. Catena Malbec

  about $18

  Malbec · grocery and wine shops

  The best value in steak wine. Dark, plummy, smooth enough to drink on its own, and it never overwhelms the meat.

• 2. Louis M. Martini Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

  about $20

  Cabernet Sauvignon · most grocery stores

  Textbook steakhouse Cabernet at a non-steakhouse price. Firm, dark-fruited, built for a ribeye.

• 3. Bogle Petite Sirah

  about $12

  Petite Sirah · most grocery stores

  Inky and bold with a peppery edge that flatters a well-charred crust. Ridiculous value at twelve dollars.

• 4. Apothic Red

  about $11

  Red blend · nearly everywhere

  Smooth and a bit sweet, which wine people sniff at and normal people enjoy. If your table likes easy reds, this is the honest pick.

Depends how you are cooking it

Filet mignon

Leaner and more delicate. Ease off to a Merlot or a softer Malbec so the wine does not run it over.

Ribeye or New York strip

The fattiest cuts, so the biggest wine. Cabernet or Petite Sirah.

With peppercorn sauce

Syrah. The pepper in the wine and the pepper in the sauce reinforce each other.

With blue cheese butter

Salty and pungent. A Zinfandel handles it better than Cabernet does.

What to skip

Light, delicate reds

A steak will erase a Beaujolais. You will have paid for wine you cannot taste.

Anything white

No tannin means nothing to cut the fat, and the steak flattens the flavour. Rare exception: a big oaked Chardonnay with a very lean filet.

Also worth a look

• What wine goes with prime rib?
• What wine goes with pizza?

Last checked 2026-09-09.