I was recently asked to recommend a bottle of wine for a home-cooked steak dinner. The pairing of food and wine is more an art than science, but it can make a GOOD meal into a GREAT meal. There are classic pairings such as Cabernet Sauvignon with juicy ribeye steaks, Zinfandel with spicy BBQ ribs, Champagne with oysters, Chianti with pasta in red sauce and so forth.

This young gentleman was preparing a steak dinner for his new wife as a holiday gift. With his budget of $100 anyone can pick an excellent California Cab, but it probably will require decanting. And it’s a good bet that this young couple doesn’t own a decanter. So let’s be creative and spend less on the wine and include a wine decanter that can be used many times after the wine is gone.  

SILVER OAK Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Alexander Valley, Sonoma California $89. If you opt to go big on the wine, this young wine will require decanting. Silver Oak and Jordan are neighbors in Alexander Valley, and produce great Cabernet Sauvignon.

JORDAN Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Alexander Valley, Sonoma California $59. Jordan Estate , a beautiful property of 1,200 acres, is well-known for their Cabernet Sauvignon. A bottle of Jordan Cab available in retail stores today will probably be vintage years 2018-2020 which are good vintages but “young”. Decanting for at least one hour is desirable. Learn how to decant.

Riedel Decanter Amazon $42, Riedel is the standard de facto in wine glassware. Compact, easy to clean, not clumsy like weird shaped decanters and large enough for 1 ½ bottles of wine – it’s a Must-Have for anyone who enjoys fine wine.

Cheers, Bob the WineGuy
Bob the WineGuy on FaceBook and Instagram.
If you wish to receive posts by email, click this link