Braised Short Ribs and Napa Cabernet

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Braised short ribs are the dish Napa Cabernet was waiting for. Seared bone-in ribs, braised for hours in red wine and stock with aromatics until the meat falls away, then served over polenta or potato purée with the reduced sauce spooned over. Rich, deeply savoury and unashamedly substantial.

Why Napa Cabernet

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is generous: ripe dark fruit, full body, firm tannin and often a sheen of new oak. Those qualities overwhelm lighter food. With short ribs they find their balance. The collagen and fat in the braise soften the tannin, the wine’s dark fruit meets the concentrated sauce, and the dish has the weight to match the wine glass for glass.

The braise also gives you control. Cook it with a decent Cabernet, and the sauce and the glass will speak the same language.

At the Table

Make the ribs a day ahead, chill them, lift off the fat and reheat gently. Serve the Cabernet at 17 to 18°C (63 to 64°F) after an hour in a decanter. A creamy polenta or celeriac purée is the right foundation.

The Bottles

Heitz Cellar Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

From one of Napa’s founding names, a structured, classically proportioned Cabernet with the freshness to cut through a rich braise. Shop it at Wine.com.

Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

A Napa institution known for ageing in American oak, which gives the wine a rounded, spiced character that suits a sweeter, glossier sauce. Shop it at Wine.com.

One Rule

Cook with a wine you would drink, and drink a better one.

The Pairing is Santé’s daily column on one dish and the wine that makes it better. A new pairing every evening.