Pair with

• Cabernet Sauvignon

  The premier red grape varietal in the world! From Bordeaux to Napa, it produces distinctive wines that are tannic, with long aging potential. Dark cherry, cedar, tobacco and black currant are common flavor descriptors.

• Syrah

  How does one describe Syrah? Rustic, muscular, yet elegant! Its abundant aromas and flavors often suggest leather, damp earth, wild blackberries, smoke, roasted meats, and a strong peppery spice.

• Shiraz

  This leading red grape of Australia, much like the French Syrah, makes seductive, mouthfilling wines filled with fruit flavors. Shiraz is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Pinot Noir

  Pinot Noir is known for its remarkably lithe, silky textures and earthy aromas. The best Pinots exude warm baked cherries, cedar, cigar and chocolate. Pinots are typically high in alcohol and lighter in body, color and tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Zinfandel.

• Zinfandel

  Zinfandel is a mouthfilling, dry red wine packed with jammy blackberry, boysenberry and plummy fruit flavors. It can be quite thick, chewy and extremely dark in color.

• Gamay

  Gamay is the grape of Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau. Of all the important red grapes, Gamay is utterly the simplest, with an intensely fruity flavor.

• Pinot Meunier

  This fruity varietal is the most extensively grown of the three Champagne grapes.

• Nebbiolo

  A weekday red from the Piedmont region, Nebbiolo is massively structured and extremely tannic in its youth. Lighter Nebbiolo (like Nebbiolo d'Alba and Roero) should be imbibed young. However, be patient - when deeper in color, Nebbiolo should be given time - it becomes a delicious combination of suppleness and power. Give this varietal a try; it is responsible for the exalted wines Barolo and Barbaresco. Nebbiolo's aroma is fruity, earthy, herbal and floral. Look for hints of strawberry, cherry, truffles, mint, eucalyptus, anise and rose.

• Petit Verdot

  A Bordeaux grape traditionally blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for spice, depth and color.

• Petite Sirah

  Primarily cultivated in California, this varietal is distinct from true Syrah and is traditionally a blending grape. Left to itself, it often shows somewhat peppery flavors, and many consumers have come to love it.

• Roussanne

  An elegant varietal of the French Rhone, often blended with its sister, Marsanne.

• Tempranillo

  Spain's most famous grape! Produces a refined wine that bursts with cherries when young. It is typically aged for two years or more, at which point Tempranillo takes on an earthy, sweet vanillan flavor.