Best Wine Pairings for BBQ
It’s summertime… You know what that means, time to fire up the ol’ barbecue!
As you know, wine can match a multitude of foods, but when it comes to barbecue and the variety of choices to grill out there from burgers to grilled fish, what goes best? Combined with numerous seasoning and condiment options, the big question on everyone’s minds is (or at least ours) is which wine to pair best with your grilled foods, especially when hosting a party?!
Here are some of the most common barbecue dishes, and the wines you should consider pairing with them for the most delicious meal experience:
Steak – Try a bolder and/or spicy wine like a Malbec, Syrah, or Shiraz. With silky characteristics, these wines complement the bold flavor of steak and can both tone down and accentuating seasonings. When it comes to BBQ, a nice medium-rare piece of beef with Malbec is probably one of the tastiest meal and wine pairings you can get. We reserve this one for special occasions. What’s your favorite Malbec? Please leave us a comment!
Burgers – If you’re looking to trade in your beer and burger combo for delicious red wine, we suggest a full-bodied wine to compliment your mouth-watering burger. Much like steak, Malbecs pair nicely, and often help tone down various burger toppings such as onion and blue cheese. We also love a good Zinfandel with a burger, and find they go beautifully with all burgers, beef, chicken, and veggie alike! YUM!
Smokies – Try a medium to full-bodied red wine. Consider if you want one that is more spicy and fruit-forward. Personally, we love a Côtes du Rhône or a Tempranillo. Spanish wines in particular pair exceptionally well with grilled meats. Plus they’re budget-friendly!
Grilled Chicken – What wine should you pair with poultry? Chardonnay, DUH! White wine always pairs best with lighter dishes like chicken and/or white fish. They complement one another extremely well because Chardonnay is light, crisp and refreshing.
Pork Chops – Pork chops are a particularly versatile dish that goes well with a variety of wines, both white and red wine! As you know, we favour red wine, like ABC Scandal’s Olivia Pope. So for us, with pork chops, we are serving Pinot Noir! .Other excellent pairings include Valpolicella or a German Riesling. Try them all and tell us your fave!
Salmon – As we mentioned earlier, fish tends to pair best with lighter, white wines. When we do salmon on the grill, we make exceptions for dry Rosé, or Pinot Gris would be a fantastic choice to pair with your grilled or smoked salmon. Or for the die-hard red-wine fans, who refuse to drink anything else, try a new world Pinot Noir.
In summary, the standout wines we recommend for your next bbq, are Malbec and Pinot Noirs. These particular wines are the most food-friendly red wines out there. They’re easy to drink, and the flavours are both full and soft enough not to overpower your food. Great matches for seafood, poultry, and red meat here are a Malbec and a Pinot Noir to try today:
The 2017 Tinto Negro Uco Valley Malbec – a dark fruit, coffee flavoured wine, with a little spice and graphite. It’s a very pleasant earthy aroma, and only $12
The Biltmore Reserve Pinot Noir – It’s got a great color, great fruit for the palate, with a nice long finish. This is $25, which is certainly not out of line with what you’d pay for a Sonoma version
Last but not least, don’t be subject to embarrassment with your red wine-stained teeth at the bbq of the year! Remove stains with Wine Nots, a quick and easy solution to whiten your teeth at any grill-off or patio party. Keep smiling! It’s summer after all!
