Which wine to drink with dry-aged beef

The reason is chemical and comes down to one word: tannin.

Tannin is the compound in grape skins that leaves your mouth feeling dry and rough, as if you had bitten into a walnut shell. It binds to proteins and fats. When you drink a tannic wine after a mouthful of rich meat, the tannin latches on to the fat left on the palate and washes it away.

The effect works both ways: the meat softens the wine, which on its own might seem too harsh, and the wine cleanses the palate, which would otherwise tire after a few mouthfuls.

The fattier the cut, the more tannic the wine can be. The leaner it is, the gentler the wine must be, or it will overpower the meat.

• Ribeye, Tomahawk Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah. Rich cuts that call for firm tannin.
• New York Strip Cabernet, Bordeaux blends, aged Rioja. A pronounced beefy flavour, a structured wine.
• Tenderloin, filet mignon Pinot Noir or Merlot. Delicate meat, wine with soft tannins.
• Lamb cutlets Syrah or wines from the south of France. Lamb wants something herbaceous alongside.
• Wagyu A5 Something with acidity rather than tannin: champagne or a light red. There is too much fat for a heavy wine.
• Tartare, carpaccio A full-bodied white or a chilled red, served at 14 degrees.

A cut dry-aged for 40 days has nutty, buttery and cheesy notes that a fresh one lacks. These flavours call for a wine with some age, one that has developed tertiary notes of its own — leather, tobacco, forest floor.

A very young, very fruity wine beside long-aged beef rings false. It is like talking over two different conversations at once.

You need not look abroad. Several native grapes work very well with beef:

• Fetească Neagră Medium tannin, notes of dried plum. Goes with almost any cut.
• Negru de Drăgășani More structured, with a hint of spice. Good with ribeye.
• Novac Tannic and robust. Holds its own against the fattiest cuts.
• Cabernet blends Many Romanian wineries make blends that sit well beside a steak, at a reasonable price.

Temperature matters more than you think. A red served at room temperature — 24 degrees in summer — tastes alcoholic and heavy. The right range is 16 to 18 degrees, slightly cool to the touch.

Open the bottle early. A young, tannic wine needs contact with air. Twenty minutes in the glass make a noticeable difference.

If you are unsure what to choose, say what you have ordered. A waiter who knows the list will settle the question in ten seconds, and the advice is free.