There's a science to matching red wine to red meat

How do you take your coffee — black or with cream? Your preference is key to wine and food's most famous guideline: serve red wine with red meat.

It's more than just color-coding.

In your mind's palate, take a sip of black coffee. It grabs and dries the palate, right? That more-or-less delicious grip is due to tannin, a compound in many foodstuffs including coffee, tea and red wine.

Now, add cream to that coffee. No more bitter astringency, right? The reason is tannin's ability to bind to fat and protein. With black coffee, that protein is your palate; in white coffee, it's cream.

Likewise in wine drinking, the protein is red meat, attracting tannin away from the palate. The bonus: tannin breaks down meat's protein, aiding digestion.

So, when pairing wine with meat, consider the cook of your cut.

Meat cooked rare has juicy fat and protein to attract rich tannin. Choose high-tannin grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Syrah.

In France, these grapes grow in southern regions Bordeaux, Languedoc and Roussillon. Excellent examples abound, so check with your wine merchant or ask for:

Chateau Cap Leon Veyrin (from Listrac-Medoc, a Bordeaux subregion): Rich berry, plum and herb flavors defined by mouthwatering acidity and firm tannin. The region's characteristic dried herb flavors mirror the thyme, rosemary or lavender in herbed rubs for meats and poultry. (About $25.)

Italy's top-planted grape — Sangiovese — is another companion to the rarest and plumpest steaks. In Chicago, order Porterhouse. In Italy, order Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Lamberto Frescobaldi, scion of Marchesi de' Frescobaldi, describes the authentic Bistecca alla Fiorentina: two-pound steaks cut from snow-white Chianina cattle, a massive and ancient breed; the steaks brushed with olive oil and rosemary, grilled hot and fast, with the final touch of standing the steak up to sear on its thick, bottom bone.

Frescobaldi shares his family's seven centuries' love of Tuscan cuisine at Ristorante Frescobaldi in Florence and London, and with the world through his fine Tuscan wines of Chianti and Brunello.

Frescobaldi's Brunello di Montalcino “Ripe al Convento di Castelgiocondo” Riserva 2009 is majestic, with a deep ruby robe introducing complex bouquet of balsam, red and ripe fruits, tobacco and licorice. An expansive palate balances impressive tannin, either cellar to age or serve immediately with the richest meats. (About $145.)

Cooking reduces meat's fat, so serve meat cooked to medium temperatures with soft-tannin wines.

Spain wins wine-loving fans for her plush reds, produced from the Tempranillo grape, then long-aged in oak to soften tannin.

Hacienda de Arinzano Red is rich and long, with forest aromas of moss, damp earth and brooding fruit, rich flavor and velour-like softness on the palate. (About $25.) For added elegance, choose Arinzano's “La Casona,” an estate receiving Spain's most prestigious wine classification. (About $40.) Suitable for all red meats but especially lean cuts cooked to medium-rare or more.

Chopped meat often comes with sweet or spicy seasoning, both of which grate against tannin.

For a world of recipes including burgers, tacos, Swedish meatballs and Hawaiian loco moco, choose a wine low in tannin and high in ripe berry flavors.

Wine punch makes it easy and economical to fit your drink to sweet or spicy seasonings, tailgating and other mass feeds; just follow a recipe and adjust to taste. (Be certain to macerate harder, fresh fruits at least overnight.)

De la Costa Sangria is Chicagoland's favorite pre-made wine punch, produced by Glunz Family Winery in Grayslake. Stop by the tasting room, or pick a bottle at local grocery or liquor store. (About $12.)

Meats served cold — including steak salad and Carpaccio — are weighted down by reds served room-temperature. Choose instead a red suitable to delicate chilling — such as France's Beaujolais or Italy's fabulous fizz, Lambrusco.

Cleto Chiarli's Lambrusco “Grasparossa di Castelvetro” Amabile is a red with delicate sparkle, rich enough to complement Carpaccio, lamb salad and — since the wine's flavors are not unlike coffee, black with sugar — a snack attack on leftover steak dinner from the 'fridge, on an early morning. (About $12.)

• Write to Advanced Sommelier and Certified Wine Educator Mary Ross at food@daily herald.com.

Ross' choice

Name: Cotes du Roussillon Villages Rouge

Region: Cotes du Roussillon Villages, France

Producer: Bila-Haut by Michel Chapoutier

Vintage: 2015

Availability: At wine shops and specialty grocers, $15

(Distributed by: Novovino, Chicago)

A thoroughly enjoyable red that evolves from focused and flinty to a complex mouthful of juicy red fruit, tea and spice and pleasing tannin. In partnership with the Rhone's Michel Chapoutier, the Domaine hand-harvests Syrah, Grenache and Carignan grapes, de-stems, then macerates for four weeks to extract the purest expression of terroir. Serve with medium to rich dishes including grilled salmon, the richest veggie dishes and a world of international meat recipes.