The marriage of beef and wine used to be as easy as steak and something rich and red. While that idea remains a favorite classic, today’s menus offer a brave new world of possibilities— and today’s beef might mean anything from Thai steak salad to fajitas or Tuscan braised short ribs. As for wine, thousands of brands are now available in the United States. At no other time in history have the possibilities of pairing beef and wine been so thrilling, so delicious, so limitless. So how can you make sense of all the options?
Extraordinary flavor affinities do exist, but they are not the predictable result of scientific principles. Rather, great matches are born from instinct, imagination, and a lot of fun experimentation. And when they happen, “wow” moments of beef and wine are like sensory fireworks. From a taste perspective, they’re the equivalent of 1 + 1 = 3.
One thing is certain. Beef and wine share more than just flavor affinities. They’re both about experience. More than most foods and most beverages, beef and wine are sensual and deeply rooted in pleasure and satisfaction. That adds up to a simple, powerful strategy for building check averages: sell more beef, sell more wine. It’s a synergy that can give a boost to two of the highest-ticket items on your menu. And the more you know about pairing, the better it works.
Feature one or two wine recommendations on the menu, adjacent to beef menu items; consider one that’s by the glass and one by the bottle.