Best wines for a barbecue

It’s summertime. It’s hot. And, it’s time to fire up the grill, but  you may well be wondering which wine to choose. Let’s find out!

What wine works with barbecue?

When choosing a wine for your barbecue, you have to bear in mind that the taste of the grilled foodstuffs is often more intense than if they were fried in a pan, owing to the roast aromas and smoke flavors.

As a general rule, red wines pair excellently well with barbecue-grilled meats. Why? Well, it’s because the umami and high fat in the meat will balance out the tannin in red wine.

Barbecue Meat Wine Pairings

When pork is on the menu, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel or Burgundy— are the best. 

You should try the Pinot Noir by Bien Nacido Estate 2014, No wonder it has 95 points from Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media. A huge, explosive red wine!

If you’re serving hamburgers, steak, barbecued ribs, or beef tenderloin, only the big red wines will do. Bordeaux or Cabernet blend, Tempranillo, Chianti, and Barolo are perfect matches, but if the spice turns the dish hot, zero in on Zinfandel or a similarly spicy Australian Shiraz or Argentine Malbec.

The Valsotillo Finca Buenavista Ribera del Duero by Bodegas Ismael Arroyo 2014 is one of the Best Spanish Red Values Ever. 100% Tempranillo, it may all critics to agree : Master of wine, Tim Atkin gave it 95 points saying “It’s a spicy, modern-meets-traditional style”, 92 points for James Suckling, Wine Spectator gave it a thumbs up, crowned Best Buy for Peñín Guide 2019.

Simply legendary red wine.

Chicken and Fish

For those of us who prefer the lighter fare, simple grilled chicken and fish pair beautifully with Sauvignon Blanc, a cool Sancerre or even Verdejo.

White wines are clearly suited to grilled fish and chicken, and some pork recipes, even those that call for blackened preparations or spice rubs. The high acidity in Sauvignon Blanc—or a cool Sancerre (made from the same grape)—pairs perfectly in this role. Choose a white Burgundy or another.

We already suggest you 6 amazing Sauvignon Blanc to discover in a previous article, but we didn’t have the opportunity to introduce you the Barahonda Blanco by Señorío de Barahonda 2018. This wine hit all the right spots, from the the freshness of the Sauv Blanc and the roundness of the Vardejo. These highly adaptive Verdejo grapes grow in a desert climate somehow are able to turn out a beautiful, full bodied white wine that is nigh on impossible to resist.

The best wine for grilled veggie burger

Be vegetarian doesn’t mean that you cannot enjoy bbq right? The best wine for grilled veggie burger could be definitely rosé de Provence. Served brisk and cool, these wines have a bit more acidity than white wines to battle the grilled flavors of the food. Among the easy favorites in this category are Bandol from Provence, Tavel from the Rhône Valley, and some interesting rosé experiments in California made from the Sangiovese grape.

So let’s bring Provence home now! This particular one is splendid! More than 16 500 wines tasted, only 50 (0.3%) received the esteemed Best in Show medal from Decanter Awards 2019. We talked about the Bandol Rosé by Domaine La Suffrene 2018
It’s a blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Cinsault, with plenty of freshness keeping it brisk and clean on the finish. Incredible rosé wine.

Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also really good pick for veggie burgers, and sometimes regular hamburgers that have a mushroom sauce. You should try Sauvignon Blanc by Te Mania 2018. Te Mania (the Maori name for “The Plains”) is a family-owned Nelson winery, located near the beautiful coastline of Tasman Bay. Their Sauvignon blanc is made in an elegant appealing style which can be enjoyed with your bbq and it’s vegan friendly!

Anyway, the key to successful wine-food pairing for outdoor dining is simplicity. Don’t choose a wine that requires too much thought because the setting doesn’t call for that. The wines should fit the food, but they should also fit the casual mood of the gathering.

Where to find these wines?
→ Pinot Noir by Bien Nacido Estate 2014
→ Valsotillo Finca Buenavista Ribera del Duero by Bodegas Ismael Arroyo 2014
→ Barahonda Blanco by Señorío de Barahonda 2018
→ Bandol Rosé by Domaine La Suffrene 2018
→ Sauvignon Blanc by Te Mania 2018