You’ll Never Be Too Full for This French Dessert How to Make Gnocchi French? Crudité is the Perfect Way to Celebrate Spring and Summer Produce I Took a Bath in Maple Syrup Steak Frites Is the Perfect Date Food, According to Ludo Lefebvre Mushroom Hunting (and Cooking) Lessons from an Expert Forager Pot-au-Feu: The Ultimate French Comfort Food Top 10 Food Moments Every 'Girls' Fan Will Remember Potage Parmentier: The Perfect Potato and Leek Soup in Any Language 5 Reasons Why Pie Is the Best Flank Steaks with Shallot-Red Wine Sauce It’s no secret that you want to break out your big red wines with steak. When that steak is grilled, don’t be afraid to serve wines that have seen some new oak—the smoky-sweet flavors of the barrels work well with the char on the meat. California and Washington Cabernet Blends. Napa Valley Cabernets with grilled steak are a classic combo, and you can’t go wrong with this pairing. For wines that are a little more interesting (and might be a better value), look for Cabernet blends (sometimes called Bordeaux-style blends) from less-known regions, like California’s Paso Robles and Washington State’s Walla Walla.

If you prefer European-style wines, red Bordeaux—which is made of a blend of Cabernet and Merlot, among other grapes—are a good bet. best wine facial at homeThese wines tend to have more acid and tannins (what’s known as “structure”) than the California wines, which you might appreciate with a rich, buttery sauce. best white wine for chinese foodThe somewhat savory flavors in Bordeaux can also be great with an herb-laden condiment. best book french wineFor affordable Bordeaux that are dominated by Cabernet, look for wines from appellations like Haut-Médoc or Graves.best wine schools in europeSteak is to Argentinians what burgers are to Americans. best type of red wine for diabetes

In Argentina, you’ll almost always find bottles of local Malbec on the table, and it’s a great alternative to Cabernet. good red wine new zealandThe rich, round, earthy reds (which many Americans now love) can sometimes even smell beefy. what is the best nz wineYes, in this case, that’s a good thing.best wine from long island nyIf you’re rubbing your steak with sweet spices or brushing it with a dried chile sauce, like mole, try berry-rich Zinfandel from California. wine and food film festivalThese low-tannin reds work well with some spice but are still rich enough to go with the steak. They’re also a good choice if you’re serving steak alongside barbecued meats, like ribs, because they’re great with sweet sauces.

Related: Excellent Steak Recipes Steak House CocktailsBest Steak in the U.S. Kristin Donnelly is a former Food & Wine editor and author of the forthcoming The Modern Potluck (Clarkson Potter, 2016). She is also the cofounder of Stewart & Claire, an all-natural line of lip balms made in Brooklyn.We’ve all been told that alcohol kills off brain cells and this is more or less true. Brain cells die all the time and new ones are generated to replace them. What alcohol does is it decreases neurogenesis, or the growth rate of new cells. Here’s the good news: red wine contains a compound called resveratrol that somewhat helps with reversing the effect of the alcohol. This is one of the many fascinating facts delivered by neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret for a recent Ted talk. Thuret goes on to explain that we all have the power to grow new brain cells and we can do this every day by exercising more, getting enough sleep, cutting down on high-fat food and even eating crunchy stuff (a Japanese study found that food requiring more chewing is good for neurogenesis).

So to those who go on the lash, end up at the chippers and get just a few hours sleep before dragging themselves into work: you’re not just hungover, you’ve killed lots of potential brain cells. Donald Trump’s radical tax reform is far from done deal Trump’s tax plan ramps up pressure on Republic Cybercrime a reality and one that is hurting Irish firms Independent News & Media’s annual report a real page-turner Denis O’Brien’s Digicel seeks to raise $1bn to refinance near-term debt Tech Tools: Are you really so time-poor you need to save two minutes of boiling? Tech Tools: One wheel swap and you’re ready to go electric Tech Tools: 20 frames a second, dual SD card slots and ethernet port makes for fine shots Tech Tools: New compact camera offers point-and-shoot fans another option Most Read in Business Gotta catch ‘em all? Be prepared for the long haul If you can’t stand the heat... Step into the Octagon

Red wine can be a healthy beverage if you drink moderately -- no more than one or two 5-ounce glasses daily -- because it has more polyphenol antioxidants than other alcoholic beverages. Polyphenols are linked to cardiovascular benefits, blood sugar improvement and cancer prevention. Choose red wines with high polyphenol levels. The polyphenol procyanidin may provide cardiovascular benefits as it inhibits blood clots and inflammation, and relaxes and dilates blood vessels, improving blood flow. Procyanidin is the most potent polyphenol for improving cardiovascular health and is highest in the Tannat grape, according to researchers of a study published in the journal "Nature" in 2006. Researchers of this study found wines from Sardinia, Italy and southwestern France to have the highest procyanidin levels, likely as a result of the traditional production method which ensures a high level of procyandidin makes it into the wine. Among these wines, they found Madiran wines from southwestern France to be the highest in procyanidin likely because they are made mainly from Tannat grapes.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol which may reduce cardiovascular and cancer risks and improve blood sugars. In the 1990s, Leroy Creasy, PhD emeritus professor in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, studied over 100 different red wine varieties -- 70 from New York, 22 from California, and the rest from other states or countries. Creasy found that Pinot Noir wines had significantly higher resveratrol content than other wine varieties regardless of processing or geography. The polyphenol anthocyanin gives wine its red color. The darker the wine, the more anthocyanin there is in it. Polyphenols multiply in humid weather and when grape skins are exposed to ultraviolet light. Creasy found that all New York wines-- not just Pinot Noir, but also Merlot and other wine varieties -- had significantly higher resveratrol content overall. This is likely a result of New York's often sunny and humid weather. Dr. James Harbertson, an enologist at Washington State University, advises choosing wines from regions farther from the equator because they have more daylight hours.

Also choose dry -- less sweet -- wines, such as Cabernet, as they have higher anthocyanin and procyanidin levels. According to the American Heart Association, there is insufficient evidence to recommend to people who do not drink to start drinking red wine as a protective measure for their cardiovascular health. The health benefits of red wine may be influenced by other factors such as genetics, physical activity, smoking, social life and environment. Discuss moderate drinking with your physician especially if you are a cardiac patient. Gain 2 pounds per week Gain 1.5 pounds per week Gain 1 pound per week Gain 0.5 pound per week Maintain my current weight Lose 0.5 pound per week Lose 1 pound per week Lose 1.5 pounds per week Lose 2 pounds per week Grape Juice Vs. Wine for Health Benefits Is Grape Juice High in Iron? Wines With High Levels of Polyphenols List of Heart-Healthy Wines The Best Red Wine for Your Health