WHAT WINE TONIGHT

What wine goes with prime rib?

Prime rib is beef at its most luxurious — rosy, tender, crowned with seasoned fat. It deserves reds with structure and occasion: this is what cabernet was born for.

Best overallRed

Cabernet sauvignon

Cassis, cedar, firm grip

Tannin and beef fat complete each other — the definitive roast-beef wine.

Shop from ~$25 · Vivino

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The classicRed

Bordeaux (left bank)

Graphite, currant, savory

The old-world version: more earth, more restraint, equally at home beside a standing rib.

Shop from ~$22 · Vivino

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Best value splurgeRed

Rioja gran reserva

Mellow, leathery, resolved

Age has softened it into the roast’s perfect companion — and it overdelivers on price.

Shop from ~$28 · Vivino

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Sommelier's tip

Horseradish cream pushes toward the riper cabernet; au jus alone favors Bordeaux.

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