Pairing Wine With Beef and Broccoli

This easy stir-fry pan recipe is enjoyable for a quick take-out from a chinese restaurant, or when you’re at home and you don’t have enough time to make a more elaborate dish, but still want something healthy. You look down, and in that little box you see some green and fresh broccoli, so you decide to put them in a pan, together with this delicious beef steak you bought yesterday. Soy sauce, sesame oil, seeds and garlic.. What’s missing? A glass of wine-of course!

For this easy-to-make and delicate dish, importance has to be put in order to not overwhelm the flavours. Dry bold red wines with low to medium levels of tannins, such as a Merlot or Dolcetto can be a nice try. Cabernet Franc, with its subtle hints of herbal notes and roasted and toasted pepper, reminds us of the green part of the dish and the toasted sesame seeds.

On the white side, we could go with a full bodied white wine, capable of withstanding the structure of the stir-fry meat. Chardonnay without any oak influences, and Riesling, are two options leading to creating a new experience thanks to their high acidity.

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Beef and Broccoli

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Dry
Acidity	Medium to High
Tannins	Low to Medium
Body	Full Bodied White and Medium Bodied Reds
Tasting Notes	Red Fruits, Black Fruits, Herbal, Pepper, Green Fruits, Citrus

Best Red Wine To Drink With Beef and Broccoli

Dry red wines with a medium body and a medium level of tannins are the best option for this preparation. We don’t need too much structure and concentration, in order to not to overwhelm the flavours of the dish. Moreover, the soy sauce would enhance the bitter sensation of the tannins.

Merlot

Medium bodied wine with medium level of soft tannins, sometimes with high alcohol levels.

Its aromas of plum and black fruits, together with hints of earth and tobacco, make this wine one one the best options to create a perfect pairing with Beef and Broccoli.

Dolcetto

This Italian indigenous grape variety comes from the North of Italy, found mainly in Piemonte. It has a thick skin which leads to a deep colored wine but with still low tannin wines. In this case, we would choose the newest version of these wines, with medium body and aromas of black pepper, black berries and violet.

Cabernet Franc

Dry, medium bodied red wine with medium levels of tannins. It is usual for a Cab Franc to retain natural levels of high acidity, while maintaining a nice fruit and spicy background. This option is better suited for people who want to add more spice or pepper to their dishes.

Best White Wine To Drink With Beef and Broccoli

Riesling

In this case a dry Riesling is a better option instead of an Off-dry or even more sweet Riesling. High acidity is what we need from a white wine in this case, to refresh the mouth from the beef and broccoli combination. Its low-medium body creates a nice balance in the mouth, enhancing the characteristics of the dish.

Chardonnay

Usually unoaked Chardonnay from the Old World can be an interesting option. In this case we don’t need any oak influence, to avoid making the combination seem more bitter. High acidity in this case is favourable and travels through the dish components, playing together with the sauce leaving everyone satisfied.

Sauvignon Blanc

It’s popular, refreshing and fruity. This aromatic grape variety has been selected thanks to its affinity with vegetables, due to its pronounced floral notes in its spectrum of aromas, such as fresh cutted grass, gooseberry and peach. Again, without any oak to preserve its natural high acidity.