What wine goes with Wagyu beef?

A good steak deserves a good wine. Or, of course, a nice craft beer, which can be just as delicious. But naturally, the flavours of the wine in your glass and the steak on your plate should complement each other. And although we are keen enthusiasts ourselves, we would rather leave that pairing to an expert. So we spoke to a sommelier...

And if you are going to make food and wine pairing recommendations, you might as well start with the emperor of beef breeds: Japanese A5 Wagyu. Because meat like this deserves a top-class wine. So we sent a Wagyu ribeye to the sommelier, who was more than happy to share his recommendation with us!

“Getting the chance to taste a Japanese A5 Wagyu steak is a true experience: the meat has beautiful marbling, is velvety tender and richly laced with fat. As soon as you open the packaging, it is not only visually impressive, but also releases an incredibly appetising aroma. It immediately fuelled my enthusiasm to work with this beautiful product from The Butchery.

A perfect food and wine pairing is more than the sum of its parts: it makes both products taste even better together than they already do on their own. That is why it was also an honour for me, as a sommelier at Vinobox, to be asked to choose a wine to accompany this beautiful steak. The way the steak is prepared naturally has a major impact on the flavour and therefore on which wine pairs best with it. Because the flavour of Wagyu is so unique, I chose to prepare it as purely as possible: I simply sprinkled the steak with a pinch of salt.”

Wagyu has a rich and distinctive flavour. So we want a wine that complements that flavour without overpowering it. I would therefore choose a wine with lightly spicy to slightly sweet notes. A wine that is too fruity will simply disappear beneath the intense flavour of the Wagyu and its rich fat content. On the other hand, a wine with too much bitterness can become overpowering, preventing the flavour of the Wagyu from truly shining. Of course, there are plenty of wines to choose from, but I would particularly highlight two: an Amarone from Valpolicella and a bold Argentinian Malbec.

A good Amarone has subtle notes of black fig, cinnamon and chocolate, while an Argentinian Malbec can offer flavours of red plum, sweet tobacco and cocoa. Both enhance the flavour of the meat in their own subtle way. Curious about the difference? Of course, you could always get both and organise a small tasting at home.

Want to serve a delicious wine with your Wagyu steak? I can wholeheartedly recommend both the Villa Cavarena Amarone della Valpolicella from Italy and the Rutini Coleccion Cabernet Malbec from Argentina. 

tinië beiden van harte aanbevelen. 

Prefer white wine? Go for a full-bodied, rounded wine with notes of vanilla and oak. These characteristics make it a perfect match for the rich, fatty flavour of Wagyu, allowing the wine and meat to enhance one another for a true taste sensation. 

One wine I would particularly like to serve with Wagyu is the Kobal “Black Label” White Reserve, a unique combination of Traminer and Chardonnay grapes. It is a wine with a distinctive origin, as it comes from Slovenia. This country has an exceptionally long winemaking history and was already known for its flavourful wines in Roman times. Kobal combines this ancient knowledge with modern techniques, while keeping respect for nature at the heart of its approach. The result is a range of truly distinctive wines, and I can recommend trying them all at least once… This blend of Traminer – fresh yet full-bodied – and Chardonnay – rounded and rich – is the perfect accompaniment to Wagyu. Let it surprise you.

One more tip if you are organising a tasting at home with these three wines: keep the steak as natural as possible. Use just a little salt and, if you like, some pepper – preferably on your plate rather than directly on the steak, as this makes it easier to control the amount.

Pour the three wines into separate glasses and start with the white wine. This allows you to gradually build up in intensity while giving the red wines some time to breathe, which benefits their flavour. Want to really experience how food and wine can enhance one another? First, take a sip of wine and taste it carefully. Then eat a piece of steak and immediately take another small sip of wine. This way, you can really experience the impact the food has on the wine.

But my most important tip: enjoy it!