Why they make the ideal couple: High in tannin, which after drinking causes your mouth to turn dark and leaves your teeth feeling chalky, is Plantaže Cabernet. A steak’s fat resists tannins and mitigates their effects, and the meat’s robust flavor harmonizes with the wine’s robust, fruity flavor.
Try these similar pairings: Red wine and red meat are a traditional pairing. While a pan-fried steak goes well with fruitier reds like Australian Shiraz or a California, Oregon, or Washington Merlot, a grilled steak is wonderful with an American red Zinfandel or a tannic or soft Merlot.
Chemists can explain a lot of why cabernet and steak are such a perfect food and wine match. Bitterness and astringency are two tastes that tannins, which are present in grape skins and wine barrels, impart to your taste buds. While some cuts of steak have less fat than others, as will be discussed below, steaks are a food high in both protein and fat. Tannins bond with proteins and lipids furiously. Therefore, foods high in protein match well with red wines that are high in tannin. A tannic red wine’s tannins link to the proteins in our saliva, reducing the wine’s astringency when we drink it. The tannins in the wine also bind with the fat and protein in the juicy bite of steak when we mix this sensory experience with it.
The tannins in the wine bind with the protein and fat in the juicy bite of steak, enhancing the sensory experience and giving the wine a softer, smoother flavor. In essence, lipids remove the tannins from your tongue. The acid in wine also reduces the fat in food, and the charred edge of a steak mimics the tannin in wine. Although tannins in red wines soften with age and the wine becomes less astringent, older cabernets are still excellent matches for steak.
