Chilling Red Wine at the Perfect Temperature to Serve with Steak

What's the best way to serve red wine? And, because we know wine is best enjoyed with a meal, what is the best way to prepare a steak? Here we dive into ideas for turning your home kitchen into a 5 star dining experience.

1. Start by choosing the perfect wine to serve with your steak. We recommend any number of reds, which may include:  Napa Valley Cabernet from either the valley floor, or, from the hillsides of Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, or Spring Mountain. Mountain fruit is stressed vines. And stressed vines, like stressed humans, make for hearty stock.  The steep hillsides of these appellations embolden the wines with flavors related to the soil, temperatures, and low level fog in the early mornings. These wines tend to be fruit forward and aromatic in the glass.  They can be stored to develop flavor with time.                                                                                               Wine grown on the valley floor, particularly in the Rutherford, St. Helena, Oakville and surrounding areas, will have a distinctive flavor like no other in the world. One whiff tells you these are born and bred in Napa Valley. Vintners in this area tend to leave the wine alone for the most part, allowing it to develop in it's natural state and determining when to harvest in the fall according to a variety of factors such as temperature, rain forecast, brix levels, and moisture.                                                        Choosing an old world Burgundy or Bordeaux from France is another excellent choice.  Bordeaux wines tend to be very high level, hailing from the most famous wine region in the Western hemisphere. There should be no mistaking where these wines are grown, although several recent blind tastings have left the French in dismay when comparing to California wines.   We also love the coastal wines from Sonoma, being a bit lighter and fruit forward. And of course, Italian reds are unmistakable in their essence.  In all cases, red wines should be slightly chilled just off room temp, as room temperature tends to flatten the wines and make them too warm for showing well. Ideally served at around 58 degrees, any of our best seller's Sommelier's Picks  would do well for storing your wine at the optimal temperature until it's time to serve.
2.      The second step, of course, is to open the first bottle while you start prepping to cook. This is our favorite part of cooking!
3. Having chosen the perfect cut of red meat, (we like Stemple Creek as they are local, sustainably raised, grass-fed and pesticide free) you will want to leave your steak out at room temp before cooking. Be sure to prepare all your side dishes before cooking your meat as the meat will take the least amount of time.
4. Many will argue, but grilling a steak may not always be the best way to cook a steak. Stovetop cooking allows for scraping any bits leftover in the pan into a sauce. We like a solid, cast iron skillet. After generously seasoning your steak on both sides with salt and pepper, heat the skillet on high. Once it starts to smoke add a bit of lard or avocado oil. Sear the steak so it sizzles when touching the pan. Flip ever few minutes to ensure even cooking on all sides. DO NOT OVERCOOK! High quality grass fed meat takes less time and can dry out if overcooked. Once it is at an ideal internal temperature (use a meat thermometer to gauge the temperature) 120-125 for rare, 130-135 for medium rare, and  140-145 for medium well, leave it on a plate to rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into or serving.
5. Open another bottle and chill, pour, exhale, and enjoy!
6. Following your dinner, enjoy a cigar from one of our Cigar Humidors.
7. Perfect ending to a perfect meal!  Check here for our best selling Wine Coolers and shop now to make your kitchen the perfect home entertainment salon.  We also feature a collection of Wine Cabinets  to enhance your living space.