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Beef Stroganoff is a rich dish that is full of heavy ingredients like beef, mushrooms, and cream. It is often served over noodles and features a thick, gravy-like sauce that is full of rich flavors and salty fats.
Choosing the best beef stroganoff wine pairing is simple by sticking to a handful of simple guidelines, including choosing red wines that are full in body with strong and distinct tasting notes.
Top Choices for Beef Stroganoff Wine Pairings
Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is a high quality red wine grape that is rarely found outside of Italy. It is most commonly produced in the Piedmont region where it is used to make some of the best red wine in all of Italy, most notably in the world famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco.
Bsrbsresco is considered by many wine experts to be the best introduction to the Nebbiolo grape, as it is slightly more mild compared to Barolo, with less aggressive flavors and softer tannins. Barolo is home to some of the best wines on earth that serious enthusiasts love.
Both Barolo and Barbaresco wines make for great wine pairings when it comes to heavy beef-based dishes like stroganoff. Drink and Pair has highlighted the pairing of Barolo and beef stroganoff as a 4.5 star match due to the high acidity present, as well as the grippy tannins.
Vietti Castiglione is one of the best bottles of Barolo that can be purchased for under $100. It is full of aggressive tannins and bold flavors, as well as ample acidity which helps to “cut through” the heavy body of the cream based gravy sauce.
Produttori del Barbaresco ‘Barbaresco DOCG’ is one of the most famous bottles of Barbaresco in the world, and it makes for a fantastic wine pairing with beef stroganoff dishes due to its high acidity and depth of flavor that stand out on the palate without overpowering the dish.
Syrah
Syrah is a very popular red wine grape that is full of heavy flavors and aggressive tannins. It carried distinct spicy tasting notes that make it a perfect match for beef stroganoff dishes with spicy gravy that use ample amounts of black pepper and other spices.
Syrah is a highly adaptable French wine grape that has gained popularity all over the world. It is best suited for production in warm weather climates, and it is called Shiraz when produced in certain parts of the world like Australia and South Africa.
This strong and highly pigmented red wine grape is often oak aged, which helps to soften the tannins while allowing the wine’s flavors to develop and mature. Aged bottles of Syrah with many layers of flavor make for great wine pairings with a variety of red wine dishes.
Guigal Hermitage is a bold and straightforward representation of the Syrah grape that allows its natural flavors to shine through in the glass. It is highly structured and full of strong tannins, which make for a great counterpart to heavy and hearty dishes such as beef stroganoff.
Kongsgaard Syrah is one of the most famous and highly regarded bottles of Syrah that is produced in the United States. It is full of all the large red fruit flavors that one would expect from a Napa Valley wine, and it does not get lost on the palate alongside beef stroganoff.
Grenache
Grenache is a full bodied red wine grape that is bursting with juicy flavors that many wine enthusiasts compare to berries and jam.
It is used for blending in a variety of different ways all across the world, though single varietal bottles of Grenache are also fantastic.
The Grenache grape is most commonly planted in Spain today, where it is most often used for blending with Tempranillo.
The Grenache mellows out the harsh tannins of the Tempranillo, similar to how Merlot works to “tone down” Cabernet Sauvignon in the famous Bordeaux blend.
This luscious and juicy red wine grape makes for a great pairing with beef stroganoff due to the fact that it is full-bodied and bursting with fruit flavors while also maintaining solid levels of acidity. The Grenache brings a refreshing sweetness to the palate in contrast to the thick gravy.
Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Chaupin is a very highly rated bottle of French Grenache that can often be found for under $80 per bottle. It makes for an ideal pairing with a variety of heavy red meat based dishes, including beef stroganoff and sunday roasts.
Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha is a high quality bottle of Spanish Grenache that hails from the Campo de Borja region and has been awarded a number of prestigious accolades including a coveted spot on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list in the year 2013.
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is a structured and refined French red wine grape that offers unique tasting notes and layers of flavor that are not present in any other wine grape. It is most often produced in France today, where the highest quality bottles are produced in Saumur-Champigny.
Cabernet Franc is the least famous of the three grapes used in the world famous Bordeaux blend, and it is described by many wine lovers as being similar to Cabernet Sauvignon but with more “earthy” flavors like leafy greens and forest floor.
Cabernet Franc mankes for a great wine pairing with nearly all red meat based dishes, and beef stroganoff is no exception. It has been listed as the “curveball pairing” on the “Best Wines to Drink With Beef Stroganoff” list by online publication Wines With Attitude.
Thierry Germain Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Les Mémoires is one of the best bottles of Cabernet Franc in the world that can be purchased for under $60 per bottle. It is structured and refined with plenty of acidity that works to enhance the beef’s natural flavors.
Domaine Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux is another famous and highly regarded bottle of Cabernet Franc from the Saumur-Champigny region of France. It is bold enough to stand up to the heavy flavors of the gravy and beef without distracting the palate.
Montepulciano
Montepulciano is a balanced red wine grape that hails from Italy and is most famously produced in the Abruzzo region today. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is one of the most popular wines in all of Italy due to its combination of medium body and significant acidity.
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a favorite of sommeliers and chefs alike due to its food friendliness, as it pairs with a variety of dishes that are notoriously tricky on the palate. The red fruit flavors of the wine compliment the flavors of the beef while the acidity enhances the flavors of the gravy.
Some of the top Italian restaurants across the world feature a wide variety of Montepulciano wines on their menus, and they are usually fairly affordable when compared to other famous Italian wines such as Barolo or Super Tuscan blends.
Tenuta Ulisse ‘Amaranta’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a high quality bottle of Montepulciano that is fairly affordable and pairs well with a variety of different heavy dishes. The red fruit flavors shine through the heavy sauce and work to refresh the palate with red fruit flavors.
Collefrisio ‘In & Out’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is well known as a “crowd pleaser” by sommeliers due to the fact that it can be enjoyed by a variety of different palates. It is one of the best red wine options for serving at large parties alongside red meat based dishes including stroganoff.
Conclusion
Pairing wine with beef stroganoff can be as simple as choosing a high quality red wine that is high in tannin, flavor, or both!
Wines with ample acidity are also great choices, as it takes a fairly bold wine to stand up to the bold flavors of a hearty beef stroganoff.
