The Best Wine To Pair With Steak Tartare

Steak tartare has come a long way since its legendary, perhaps somewhat apocryphal, invention by Central Asian nomadic tribesmen of the late Medieval period. Along the way, the decadent dish has refined to become the tender, beefy dish that has evolved into a restaurant menu staple — though the raw, minced pieces of beef still pay homage to their traditional inception. However, with such refinement over the years comes a certain degree of status (or at least an aura of one) surrounding the dish, and you may be puzzled as to how you go about "properly" ordering it. And part of that process is figuring out what kind of wine is the perfect marriage for such a delectable dish. But don't worry, choosing the right wine for your steak tartare is far from impossible.

When choosing a wine to pair with steak tartare, or any light dish with raw beef for that matter, you don't want a wine that's too powerful. As such, a lighter red wine will give you just enough body to hold its own against the stronger ingredients in the tartare — after all, beef and red wine are the perfect couple. This lighter red will still leave enough breathing room to let the freshness of the beef shine. A gamay, pinot noir, or even a cabernet franc might be just the thing to make your tartare truly memorable.

The main thing to remember about pairing wines with beef tartare, compared to many other beef dishes, is that raw beef has a vastly different flavor compared to cooked beef. While a cooked piece of beef like steak pairs beautifully with certain bolder, richer wines, such as cabernet sauvignons and malbecs, the relatively much more delicate minced pieces of beef in tartare aren't going to withstand such a barrage of boldness (and tannins for that matter). This is why a lighter red will suffice in this case, and shows that there's no "cure-all" when it comes to choosing a beef and wine pairing.

It must also be noted that, although red wine is the oft-celebrated accompaniment to beef, there's no harm in branching out to whites and even roses if you feel up to the task. The minerality inherent in some white wines is a surprising complement to beef tartare, with choices such as a Chablis or a Muscadet proving useful here. As for roses, some implementation of a mild spice, such as a black pepper note, can really do wonders for a beef tartare, and rosés with an element of merlot can give enough substance to the wine without outshining the dish. So if reds aren't your cup of tea (or wine, in this case), then there are still plenty of wines out there that'll fit right in alongside some steak tartare.