What to drink with asado: the Argentine pairing guide
Malbec and steak is only the beginning. How to drink your way through an asado like a local — and match Argentine wine to the rest of the country's food.
🥩 Prime Cuts (Ojo de Bife, Entraña, Asado de Tira): High-altitude Uco Valley Malbec (1,100m+) or mountain Cabernet Franc. Natural acidity and muscular tannins slice cleanly through charred, marbled fat.
🧀 Starters (Provoleta Cheese, Mollejas & Sweetbreads): A chilled, mineral Torrontés from Salta or an Argentine Extra Brut sparkling. High acid cleanses melted cheese fat where heavy reds fail.
🌭 Choripán & Spiced Sausages: Fruit-forward, unoaked Bonarda from eastern Mendoza or young Malbec with low oak interference.
Authentic Argentine Gaucho Steak Knives
Heavyweight stainless steel with handcrafted wooden handles. Effortlessly slices thick ribeyes without tearing grain.
Riedel Vinum Syrah & Malbec Crystal Glasses
The tapered rim focuses violet aromatics and softens bold wood-fired tannins for grass-fed Argentine beef.
Argentine Parrilla BBQ Grill Tool Set
Traditional long-handled ember shovel, poker, and meat clamp designed for wood-charcoal embers.
Crystal Wine Decanter & Aerator
100% lead-free crystal carafe designed to open bold wood-fired tannins of high-altitude Malbec & Cabernet Franc.
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Authentic Vineyard Asado & Wine Tasting Masterclasses
Nothing compares to an authentic multi-course Argentine asado cooked over wood embers by top chefs in Buenos Aires, Luján de Cuyo, and Uco Valley, paired with rare reserve Malbecs and guided by local sommeliers.
The marriage of Malbec and grilled beef is, as Argentines like to say, as famous as Maradona. And it deserves the fame — there may be no more natural pairing in all of wine. But an Argentine asado is not a steak; it is a slow, sprawling, multi-act feast, and the best tables pour more than one wine across it. Here is how to drink your way through an asado like a local — and how to match Argentine wine to the rest of the country's food.
What Argentine Wine Do Chefs Recommend for Pairing with Barbecue?
When international grill masters and top Buenos Aires parrilla chefs prepare wood-fired beef, they move far beyond a generic bottle of red. Here is the 3-step masterclass protocol used in Argentina's best asado kitchens:
1. High-Altitude Oak-Aged Malbec
Fat-marbled cuts like Ojo de Bife and Asado de Tira require tannins with grip and vibrant mountain acidity (from Uco Valley sites above 1,100m) to cleanse the palate after each rich bite.
2. Cabernet Franc & Salta Tannat
Argentine Cabernet Franc delivers crushed red bell pepper and pyrazine notes that harmonize with oregano and garlic in chimichurri, while high-altitude Salta Tannat matches smoky charcoal bark.
3. Cold Sparkling or Salta Torrontés
Chefs always start with cold high-acid whites: a bone-dry Extra Brut or aromatic Torrontés cuts the oily richness of grilled chorizo, sweetbreads (mollejas), and molten provoleta cheese.
What's inside
01The classic Malbec
It isn't an accident or marketing.
Read Step 1 →Beyond Malbec
Match the weight of the wine to the weight of the dish — light with light, bold with bold — and the whole asado sings.
Read Step 2 →Pairing the rest of Argentine food
Empanadas, provoleta, chorizo and more: the rest of the asado table, matched glass by glass.
Read Step 3 →Simple rules to remember
A real asado unfolds in stages, and a clever host changes gears as it goes.
Read Step 4 →🥩 Traveling for an authentic Asado & Wine experience? If you're starting your culinary journey in the capital, explore our complete route guide: How to get from Buenos Aires to Mendoza (Flights, Sleeper Bus, Driving).
Start Reading — Step 1: The classic Malbec →Quick answers
What wine goes best with asado?
Malbec is the classic choice — its firm tannins cut through the fat of grilled beef while its dark fruit echoes the smoky char. For the richest, fattiest cuts, a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Cabernet–Malbec blend adds extra structure.
Why do Argentines drink white wine with asado?
Because an asado includes rich, fatty starters like provoleta cheese and offal (sausages, sweetbreads). A crisp, high-acid white such as Torrontés cuts through that fat far better than a tannic red, which is why many Argentine sommeliers pour it early in the meal.
What wine pairs with empanadas?
It depends on the filling. Beef empanadas suit a medium-bodied Bonarda or Malbec, while cheese, corn or vegetable empanadas pair beautifully with a crisp Torrontés. The spiced empanadas of Salta are a natural match for the region's own Torrontés.
What's the simplest rule for pairing Argentine wine and food?
Match the weight of the wine to the weight of the dish — light wines with light dishes, bold wines with rich ones — and use high-acid whites with anything fatty or fried. When in doubt at a barbecue, Malbec is rarely wrong.
What wine goes with Argentine dessert like dulce de leche?
A sweet wine works best, such as a late-harvest Torrontés or a Moscatel. Matching the sweetness of the wine to the dessert keeps the wine from tasting thin or sour.
What Argentine wine do chefs recommend for pairing with barbecue?
Top Argentine chefs and asadores recommend three essential barbecue pairings: 1) Full-bodied, oak-aged Malbec from Uco Valley or Luján de Cuyo for fatty, marbled cuts like Ojo de Bife (Ribeye) and Asado de Tira (Short Ribs); 2) High-altitude Cabernet Franc or Salta Tannat for deeply charred crusts and herbaceous chimichurri; and 3) A crisp, aromatic Torrontés or Extra Brut sparkling wine to cut through rich starters like chorizo, sweetbreads (mollejas), and melted provoleta cheese.
What is the best Argentine asado wine under $30?
For under $30, top sommeliers recommend Catena Appellation Vista Flores Malbec, Zuccardi Q Malbec, or El Enemigo Cabernet Franc. They deliver vibrant mountain acidity, ripe berry fruit, and structured tannins that refresh the palate between rich bites of beef.
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