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What to look for Young Cabernets and Merlots with tannins make them especially good choices for checking the overall fattiness of grilled meat and deep-fried potatoes. Moreover, the savoriness of seared beef and the regulation salt on the fries bring out these wines' ripe fruitiness. Just about any serious Cab or Merlot is a candidate for steak frites, but save your older, more delicate vintages for subtler fare.

Our picks A Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia, such as the1994 Lindemans Pyrus; a Cabernet-based Super-Tuscan from Italy, such as the 1994 Nozzole Il Pareto; a California Merlot, such as the 1995 Swanson; a red Bordeaux, such as the 1994 Château Gloria; a Chilean red, such as the 1995 Casa Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Merlot.