Beef Brisket is great with how easily it falls off the bone thanks to its delicious tenderness. It pairs exceptionally well with red wines that have high acidity, soft tannins, and light smokiness.
Wines like Syrah, Ribera del Duero, and Rosso Conero all pair well.
Although brisket is meaty, wines that have an abundance of tannins can overpower its juiciness.
With a brisket, you do still want a lot of tannins, but they should be soft, meaning that the wine should be made in a style in which the tannins are mellow.
A young Cabernet will have a hard tannin, meaning that it will taste astringent and harsh, should it not have had enough aging time.
A wine with a softer tannin will be more velvet-like, with a smooth feel, this is necessary for a beef brisket (Also check out Best Wine Pairings For Corned Beef & Cabbage).
Some people also believe that the oak-like undertones of white wine pair well with grilled or BBQ-based food, however, in our opinion white wine is usually crushed underneath the denseness of this very heavy dish.
Our Top Choice For Wine Pairing With Beef Brisket
| Type Of Wine | Variety | Our Rating |
| Red | Aglianico | 4.5/5 |
| Red | Montepulciano d’Abruzzo | 4.5/5 |
| Red | Rosso Conero | 4.5/5 |
| Red | Cote Rotie | 4.5/5 |
| Beer | Baltic Porter | 4/5 |
| Beer | Oatmeal Stout | 4/5 |
| Red | Ribera del Duero | 4/5 |
| Red | Syrah | 4/5 |
| Red | Pinot Noir | 4/5 |
| Red | Montepulciano | 4/5 |
Beef Brisket With Rosso Conero
This wine, Rosso Conero is a rich Italian red wine that is made from Sangiovese, and around 85% Montepulciano. When this wine is matured in oak, it has a gentle aroma of smoke, making it a great pairing with the smokiness of beef brisket.
On the other hand, you have the currant, black cherry, and raspberry flavors of this ruby-red wine that can balance out the beef brisket crust and charred bitterness that can come with it.
Beef Brisket With Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a medium-bodied red wine that has been blended with a little Sangiovese. It also has a fair serving of tannin, and it has also got a fair amount of acidity in it, enough to cut through the meatiness of brisket.
It has flavors similar to tobacco and herbs, which make it even more suitable for a brisket as it adds additional depth.
Aged Montepulciano has chocolate flavors that compliment the crispy exterior of a brisket, however, if the wine has been oaked quite heavily, it could be a bit too full for a brisket.
This wine is a dry red, so it is not sweet, but it does come bearing flavors of plum, blackberry, and black cherry. In some cases, you can even find notes of leather, earth, and cloves.
BBQ Beef Brisket With Ribera Del Duero Reserva
This wine is Tempranillo, which makes it a full-bodied red Spanish wine that has softer tannins when it is aged.
It has blackberries, black cherries, smoke, dark chocolate, wild game, cassis brown sugar, mocha, vanilla, and earthy flavors all mixed in with it.
This wine can bring a lot of complementary flavors to a brisket, however, it can also come with a lot of contrasting flavors as well.
This wine should have had at least a year being aged in oak, providing the wine with an earthy layer, one which is exceptionally delicious when mixed with the charred crust of a beef brisket.
This wine is high in tannins, but the tannins are soft thanks to its oak aging, therefore, it can be drunk right out of the bottle.
Its silky tannins can help your brisket to taste even more tender and savory as it can help to break down tougher protein molecules.
Smoked Beef Brisket & Syrah
The peppered crust that can come with a beef brisket pairs very nicely with the spiced flavors you can get from a Syrah with a medium body, choose one from California or France for this.
Shiraz and Syrah are also the same grape, however, they will be made in different styles.
Shiraz is a bit more fruit-forward, but Syrah is more earthy, meaty, and is generally spicier.
With a Syrah, there are some refreshing fruity elements, including blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
That being said, you can also find more complex notes of black pepper, bacon, spice, smoke, meat, and rosemary which mix well when paired with a brisket.
Beef Brisket & Zinfandel Wine
Zinfandel is a great choice of red, and it is often a top choice for lovers of brisket. If you do lather brisket in BBQ sauces then it can be a top choice.
But, if the brisket is without a sauce, then this wine adds a sweetness, with notes of black cherry, raspberry, plum, and blackberry.
This wine also tends to have notes of black pepper, smoke, and even vanilla that make it ideal. It is not for everyone though, but for those who love a fruity wine with their meat, it works well.
Overall
The best wine to pair with beef brisket is, of course, red wine. However, there are so many amazing choices to consider. The true answer, however, is that it depends entirely on what your preferences are, and what you want from your wine pairings.
I can offer you articles and information about wine from a seasoned sommelier, and now a winemaker too! I hope that you enjoy some of our articles, and start thinking outside of the box when it comes to wine.
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