Beef Rolls

Red · Medium · Dry

California Merlot, when made well — plummy, supple, with a touch of cocoa and earlier drinkability than its Bordeaux cousins. The unfairly maligned dinner-party red.

Works with Beef Rolls · Beef Rolls With Parmesan, Pine Nuts, Olives, And Capers

Red · Medium · Dry

Tuscany's most serious wine — pure Sangiovese aged at least five years before release. Cherry, leather, tobacco, dried herb; immensely structured, immensely age-worthy.

Works with Beef Rolls · Beef Rolls With Parmesan, Pine Nuts, Olives, And Capers

Red · Medium · Dry

Cabernet's softer sibling — plum, black cherry, and a whisper of chocolate, framed by rounder tannins and earlier drinkability. The wine that built Pomerol and the one to reach for when Cabernet feels like overkill.

Works with Beef Cabbage Rolls · Veal, Beef Cabbage Rolls

Red · Full · Dry

California's brawler — jammy blackberry, brambly spice, and 15% alcohol that hides behind the fruit. Built for ribs, brisket, and anything that came off a grill.

Works with Bracioline (beef Rolls In Red Sauce) · Cabbage Rolls Stuffed With Pork, Beef And Rice

Red · Full · Dry

The benchmark for full-bodied red — structured, age-worthy, unapologetic. Black currant, graphite, and tobacco lead into firm tannins that demand protein on the plate. Decant young bottles; cellar the serious ones.

Red · Full · Dry

Argentina's signature grape: deep purple, plummy, and remarkably smooth for its weight. Soft tannins and a touch of cocoa make it the dinner-party Cabernet alternative — and far easier on the wallet.

Shorthand most often for Pinot Noir — light-bodied, perfumed red wine with cherry and earth. Burgundy's most temperamental and rewarding grape.

White · Light · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

Red · Full · Dry

Shiraz's more reserved European cousin — Northern Rhône style, all violets, black olive, and white pepper. Less brawn, more poise; pairs as well with lamb as with peppered duck breast.