The very best wine pairings for steak and fine cuts of meat
Liverpool Street Chophouse & Tavern is not a place for small plates. The portions are generous, the menus come in a reassuringly bold red with gold lettering, the wines are decanted and the atmosphere harkens back to a time when long, bottle-strewn business lunches were still de rigour.
Chef Mike Reid, formerly of M Restaurants, has built his reputation on his beef expertise. Premium cuts, aging techniques, sustainable stock, and nose-to-tail dining: he knows it all. Each breed and cut is treated differently, so there is no one better to discuss wine and beef pairing.
A fillet should be extremely tender, and has a more delicate flavour so Reid suggests a light, elegant Pinot Noir. “Fillet is lean with a very fine texture, so you don’t want to overpower it. Something with bright acidity and softer tannins complements rather than dominates”.
The best wine pairings for meat
Sirloin has more bite to it. “More fat and flavours mean you can step up to a classic Cabernet Sauvignon. The tannins cut through the fat nicely and bring structure to the dish”. Rump is leaner than sirloin but tends to be firmer to chew. “With the deeper, more robust flavour I like a Malbec or Shiraz. You want a wine with enough weight and fruit to stand up to it”.
It is not just the cut that defines the best wine however, how you cook your meat is important. It alters the meat’s flavour, fat and texture. High heat, such as grilling, gives it a dark umami-rich, slightly smoky taste and needs a bold, bright wine to cut through the intensity, like a subtly smoky Syrah or Shiraz.
Roasting a joint concentrates the juices, making it both savoury and slightly sweet and a Bordeaux or Rioja will help keep this in balance. Slow-cooking gives meat a buttery, silky texture and a deep flavour so you want a plush, finer-tannin wine with plenty of flavour such as Grenache dominant blends from the Rhone or a Barbera. A steak tartare, where the meat is chopped raw and seasoned, is subtle and needs a light Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.
Reid recommended his rib-eye on the bone. It was superb: generously sliced meat, flavoursome on the browned outside and a merry red-pink in the middle. “Cooking on the bone adds depth and richness, especially through the fat and marrow. That extra intensity means you can go bigger with the wine, something more structured and tannic”.
I love South African wines and Ken Forrester as a winemaker and it is a feather in this Chophouse’s cap that he is creating wines exclusively for them. I shared an excellent bottle of Forrester’s ‘Renegade’ 2022, a Rhone blend of Shiraz and Grenache which went wonderfully.
Do not miss the sherry trifle served tableside for the full, hearty dining experience.