[HOW TO SPEAK GEEK]

Exploring the world of food and wine

By Richard Field

Drink big reds
with prime steak

Eating at Ruth's Chris' Steak House is like getting into a exotic race car and putting the pedal to the metal.

The intensity of the flavors of their steaks, due to the quality of the cuts and the unique cooking method, is such a rush. This restaurant's steaks are luxurious, rich and decadent. I'm always excited about the wines we'll enjoy with their food.

I look forward to full-flavored red wines here and there are plenty to choose from. The steaks are almost like the famous bistecca fiorentina of Tuscany, where the meat is drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, Ruth's uses creamy butter and the steak is presented sizzling in its juices. What this does is allow for red wines that are even richer, bigger and more tannic and youthful to taste, wines that feel supple and smooth.

And while Pinot Noir can work, this is where a full-throttled Cabernet Sauvignon or brawny Zinfandel works magically. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars from Napa Valley, especially in the 1997 vintage ($71 on the list) is a great example of a powerful and flavorful red. The 1998 is a little more subdued but still great. Harrison Vineyards "Zebra Zin" 1999 ($50) is big and tannic but melts in the mouth with these steaks.

Grape Value: Steaks at home may not come close to these, but the wines can. Hawk Crest Cabernet Sauvignon (made by Stag's Leap Wine Cellars) at $13.99 is full-flavored and well-made. For a softer but very enjoyable red, try REDS by Laurel Glen Vineyard at $9.99, another red-wine specialist. This wine is actually a blend of several red grapes that benefit from the best flavors of each.

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Richard Field owns R. Field Wine Co. "How to Speak Geek" is a weekly lesson in food-and-wine pairing, written by a rotating panel of wine experts.

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