Chardonnay With Beef?
The Wine Dinner That Made Me Rethink Pairing Rules
Snake River Farms, House of Far Niente and Hank’s Fine Steaks & Martinis created an evening of exceptional beef, unexpected wine pairings—and one Chardonnay pairing I’m still thinking about.
WINE & DINE | A WINE DIVA’S JOURNEY
FROM CHARLENE
I thought I knew exactly where this dinner was going.
Snake River Farms beef. House of Far Niente wines. Hank’s Fine Steaks & Martinis. Clearly, we were headed straight into Cabernet country—and I was perfectly happy about that.
Then I looked at the menu. Sauvignon Blanc with filet mignon carpaccio? Interesting. Chardonnay with beef tataki? Now they had my attention.
I’ve been drinking and learning about wine long enough to know that the old “white wine with fish, red wine with meat” rule is far too simple. But I’ll admit it: when I saw Chardonnay paired with beef, I was skeptical. By the end of the second course, I wasn’t skeptical anymore.
This dinner reminded me of something every wine lover should remember: sometimes the most memorable pairing isn’t the one you would have chosen yourself. It’s the one that makes you taste both the food and the wine differently.
And the chef and sommelier at Hank’s did that to me more than once.
More Than a Steak Dinner
When I arrived at Hank’s, I knew we were in for some incredible beef. What I didn’t expect was how much I would learn along the way.
The evening was part of Hank’s Steak Series, and this dinner brought together Snake River Farms and the House of Far Niente for a five-course experience pairing different preparations of American Wagyu and beef with wines from Far Niente, Bella Union, Nickel & Nickel and Dolce.
One of the special touches was hearing directly from a great-granddaughter of Snake River Farms founder Bob Rebholtz Sr. She shared the family story and explained how Snake River Farms developed its American Wagyu by crossing Japanese Wagyu genetics with American cattle—creating beef with the extraordinary marbling of Wagyu while maintaining the rich beef flavor Americans love.
I always enjoy a dinner more when there’s a story behind what’s on the plate, and having someone from the family there made the evening feel much more personal. We weren’t simply being served course after course; we were learning why the beef was special before we tasted what the chef could do with it.
[The 2026 Hank’s Steak Series lineup featured additional fall dining experiences following this September dinner.
The Pairings That Broke the Rules
Sauvignon Blanc + Carpaccio: An Unexpected Start
The first pairing immediately told me this wasn’t going to be a predictable steak-and-Cabernet dinner.
Filet mignon carpaccio was paired with the 2025 Bella Union Sauvignon Blanc. My first reaction was simply, Interesting. Sauvignon Blanc isn’t the wine most people immediately reach for when beef hits the plate, but once I tasted the two together, I understood exactly what they were doing.
The acidity in the Sauvignon Blanc cut beautifully through the richness of the carpaccio. Instead of competing with the beef, it refreshed my palate and made me ready for another bite. With truffle aioli, ponzu capers, Italian Olive Oil, shaved Parmesan and black truffle also on the plate, there was plenty going on—and the brightness of the wine kept everything balanced.
It was unexpected, but it worked.
WINE DIVA TIP
Don’t pair the wine with the protein alone.
Consider the entire dish—its richness, acidity, sauce, seasoning and preparation. Sometimes the wine you’d never think to serve with beef is exactly the one that makes the dish work.
Chardonnay + Beef Tataki: The Pairing That Blew My Mind
When I saw the next pairing—New York beef tataki with the 2024 Far Niente Chardonnay—I was skeptical. I’ve had plenty of Chardonnay and plenty of beef, but I don’t think I’d ever intentionally put the two together.
Then I took a bite of that luscious beef and followed it with the Chardonnay.
Wow.
The two didn’t merely work together; they changed each other. The Chardonnay made the beef seem less fatty and rich, while the beef brought more of the fruit forward in the Chardonnay. Neither dominated the other. They found this beautiful balance that I absolutely wasn’t expecting.
This was the pairing of the night for me—not because the Chardonnay was my favorite wine or the tataki was my favorite dish, but because it taught me something: sometimes a great pairing isn’t about matching similar flavors. It’s about finding two things that make each other better.
New York beef tataki paired with 2024 Far Niente Chardonnay—the pairing I never expected to love.
The surprises may have come early, but the rest of the dinner certainly didn’t disappoint.
The braised short rib was my favorite dish of the night—fork tender, incredibly flavorful and exactly the kind of dish that makes you slow down and enjoy every bite. Braised in red wine and paired with the 2022 Bella Union Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, this was a more traditional beef-and-Cabernet pairing, and sometimes there’s a reason the classics are classics.
Red-wine-braised Snake River Farms short rib—my favorite dish of the evening.
Then came the Wagyu Zabuton Gold Label with two Nickel & Nickel Cabernets: Sullenger Vineyard from Oakville and Bear Track from Howell Mountain. Sullenger was easily my favorite wine of the evening. I belonged to the Nickel & Nickel wine club years ago, and Sullenger was always one of my favorites. Tasting it again reminded me just how much I love that fruit-forward Oakville Cabernet.
But here’s where the evening taught me one more lesson: my favorite wine wasn’t my favorite pairing.
As much as I loved the Sullenger on its own, Bear Track was the better partner for the Wagyu. Something about the Howell Mountain Cabernet alongside that beautifully rich beef simply worked. The wine made the meat better, and ultimately, isn’t that what we’re looking for in a great pairing?
Snake River Farms Wagyu with Sullenger and Bear Track Cabernet—my favorite wine and my favorite pairing weren’t the same.
Dessert brought us a gorgeous yuzu chiboust cream choux with praline cake, vanilla choux, lavender meringue and spiced honey, paired with the 2021 Dolce. I hadn’t tasted Dolce in quite a while, and it was such a lovely reminder of how beautiful a well-made dessert wine can be when it’s paired thoughtfully. The dessert was beautiful, delicious and the perfect finish to the evening.
Yuzu chiboust cream choux with 2021 Dolce—a beautiful finish to the evening.
There wasn’t a single bad bite all night—and that’s hard to do over five courses. The chef and sommelier at Hank’s hit a home run. More importantly, they reminded me why I still love learning about wine: just when you think you know what belongs in your glass, someone pours Chardonnay with beef and makes you rethink the rules.
Hank’s Steak Series continues with additional dinners throughout the year, each built around a different featured producer and pairing experience. After this one, I’ll definitely be watching to see what they pour—and serve—next.
Because apparently I need someone to challenge my wine-pairing rules again.
Life’s best moments deserve beautiful details.
A Note From Charlene: My dinner at Hank’s Steak Series was hosted/comped by Green Valley Ranch. I was not asked to write this story, and all opinions and experiences shared here are my own.