Wines for BBQ

It is often said that barbequed food and sauce is difficult to pair with wine. That has always seemed silly to me as those smokey and charred flavors have great natural affinities with wine. I love a cold beer as much as the next person, but there's no reason to feel compelled to drink beer with your meat masterpieces this Forth of July.

The intense, sweet flavors of BBQ naturally pair well with high-alcohol, fruit-forward and juicy wines. The instant match is Zinfandel for its rich, chewy style. The Sobon "Fiddletown" Zinfandel from Amador County is one of my favorites. It's well balanced and has a great ribbon of acidity, unlike many Zins that can knock you for a loop from how cloyingly sweet and unbalanced they are.

Old World crowd pleasers that have that same ripe, appeling style include many of the Southern Italian reds. Nero d'Avola, the great red grape of Sicily, is an affordable knockout. Two of my favorites are Feudo Arancio and Rapitala. Many of the Negroamaros and Primitivos from Puglia will also do the trick.

Argentine Malbecs will also be a great match for the spice of BBQ, and that includes everything from pork to chicken. Renacer Punto Final is one of my favorites. Also ashy, dusty wines, like Chinon from France's Loire Valley (that I have been obsessed with for some time) will make a surprisingly good match. I can't get enough of the Domaine de Beausejour these days.

Also don't forget some of the broad and sultry white wines. Rhône varietals, like Roussanne and Marsanne, can be great with a less tomato-focused sauce on a slice of well-grilled piggy. Tablas Creek, out of Paso Robles makes some divine single varietal and Rhône blends. Also an off-dry white like a Riesling or a Gewürztraminer, from California, Germany or even a drier style from Alsace will also do the trick.

Happy grilling,

Liza the Wine Chick