What is a good red wine to serve with brisket?

Question

I am hosting Christmas dinner at my house for the first time and want to inpress my guests. I love to cook, but have never cooked with wine. I am looking for an inexpensive wine that will work well with brisket. I also want to make a wine sauce. Please be name specific. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Impressive, inexpensive, good with beef...

I'm gonna go with a Malbec. It's relatively new to the market, a South American grape similar to Merlot. In fact, when the first Malbec grapes were shipped to Argentina from France, they were labeled as Merlot. But the leaves are a different color, and the wine has a subtly different taste.

Hey, you could do a little research on the grape and really impress your guests with your wine knowledge. :)

Answer 2

Merlot is a red wine that should be great for marinating the brisket as well as a good wine to serve. I would suggest though if you are going to do that you can buy a cheap "box" wine for the marinade but i would go with a little better quality for the drinking wine
If you are going to serve the merlot it is quite dry i might get a bottle of port also it is much sweeter for your guest that don't like such a dry wine. the selection will also impress them.

Answer 3

DINDORI RESERVE SHIRAZ (by Sula Wines): Grown on the hills of our Dindori estate and aged for a year in new oak, Reserve Shiraz is fragrant, elegant, and smooth, with lush berry flavours and silky tannins.
Pair with grilled meats and seafood, spicy Mexican dishes, or even pizza
Serve cool, 15-18°C

WHITE WINE SAUCE: Cook together in a little butter until tender: 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms. Add: 1 c. sour cream 1/2 c. white wine 1 tbsp. chopped parsley 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. paprika Dash black pepper. Use MADERA WHITE of Sula wines(Made from a blend of classic as well as indigenous Indian grape varieties, Madera White is a young, fruity wine)

Red Wine Sauce w/ Mustard & Thyme.Yields approximately 1/2 cup, enough to sauce
Ingredients:
* 2 medium shallots, minced
* 1/2 cup dry red wine
* 1/2 cup homemade stock (chicken, beef, lamb, or venison)
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
* Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
After sautéing properly, remove meat or chicken from the pan Leaving the residual fat that it was cooked in. There should be some brown bits of meat or chicken in the pan leftover from the cooking. This is called fond. Leave it right where it is. Add the shallots to the pan and cook over low heat stirring frequently until the shallots are translucent. Raise the heat to high, add wine, stock, and bring to a boil. At this time loosen any of the browned bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon and incorporate them into the sauce. Boil until the liquid is reduced in half. Reduce heat to medium, add the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard and cook until the sauce has the consistency you like. It should be thick enough to coat regular spoon. I hesitate to give cooking times for each of these steps because the amount of heat (Btu's) varies from stove to stove. Remove from heat and stir in butter. This will help thicken it a little more and give it a nice glossy appearance. Add the fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over your main course immediately. You can use any Indian red wine e.g. SATORI MERLOT (Soft tannins, a spicy nose and a balanced, rounded mouth feel make for a stunning wine that can be enjoyed perfectly well on its own. “Satori” is a Zen term meaning “sudden enlightenment”)