Wine Pairing for BBQ

[Philpug]

A friend told us, if it's not good enough to drink, it's not good enough to cook with.

 

[Philpug]

This shows, as long as there is potato salad...you can drink anything.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Because we gots class. gcool

dont you mean "we gots (sic) glasses....."

 

[pais alto]

Fatbob is another bob.

Me too.

But I'm drinking rye whiskey at the moment

/double non-sequitur

 

[Jilly]

Popcorn and Champers is good!

 

[Jilly]

 

[Tricia]

Me too.

But I'm drinking rye whiskey at the moment

/double non-sequitur

Home made caramel corn and bourbon for me.

 

[fatbob]

Having now edumacated myself as to what beer butt chicken is I think I'll pass.

 

[Tricia]

Having now edumacated myself as to what beer butt chicken is I think I'll pass.

FYI, Beer Butt chicken is really good. The moisture from the beer is amazing.
I have been known to substitute Beer for Ginger Ale which adds a nice flavor as well.
Here is a "How To"
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/beer-can-chicken-recipe.html

 

[ScotsSkier]

Having now edumacated myself as to what beer butt chicken is I think I'll pass.

butt, butt.......you can always lick the can....

 

[Jilly]

I have a fancy roaster that takes place of the can. You add the beer to the reservoir.

 

[Tony S]

I do have real thoughts on bbq wine. Later.

Charts are kind of like statistics: Useful as far as they go, but they almost never go far enough to be useful.

The main problem with the chart is that it's mostly variety-centered rather than style-centered. IMO style matters much more than grape when it comes to bbq (or any other kind of food- or situation-pairing exercise). To the extent that there are exceptions, such as the aforementioned Cava and Provencal rose, it's precisely because specific styles are implied or named by those entries in the chart. By contrast, to say something goes with "chardonnay" is nearly meaningless because the styles of chardonnay are so varied. You can have cougar juice like Lindeman's Bin 65, or you can have a svelte steel-fermented thing like Elena Walch's from the Alto Adige. You can have Raveneau Chablis that tastes like a day and a night and another day on a beach of broken shells with someone you just met, or something lush but riveting like Kistler. It's all chardonnay but there is precious little family resemblance among them.

Let's say you've ruled out beer for some not-very-sensible reason. Some preferences for outdoor drinking:

1. Low to moderate alcohol levels, so that you don't get that "who put vodka in my wine?" effect that tends to emerge when drinker and/or weather are hot.
2. Never rule out bubbles!
3. Low to moderate tannin levels. Again, warmth tends to exaggerate tannin. Exception: Sometimes a charred, fatty piece of meat wants a red with some pumice in it to scrub out the mouth and the arteries.
4. Younger is better. Refreshing levels of juice with balancing acidity are good. Excessively lean and tart is no fun out in the sun, to be sure, and too much fruit without enough zing is worse: heavy and dull. An older wine with a lot of subtlety to it but not a lot of fruit left can be gorgeous on a November night at the dinner table with a rack of lamb, but generally gets lost out if you're outside in the bugs, standing next to a tiki lamp and holding a croquet mallet in one hand.

Here are a couple of wines I've had in the last month that suit me for outdoor enjoyment:

White: 2015 Avinyo Petillant. This is a super-crisp, slightly sparkling dry muscat from Spain. About ten bucks and a lot going on if you are paying attention and don't insist on being hit over the head. Drink with whatever snacks are lying around, or pretty much any kind of seafood that's not too heavily adulterated. A simple bruschetta, a spear of grilled asparagus, and a piece of fresh mozarella would be another good pairing. Don't settle for an earlier vintage; go young or go home.



Red: 2013 Cotes du Rhone "Barruol," Kermit Lynch. Class act. Fifteen dollars, more or less. Lots of crunchy juicy Grenache and Syrah fruit, enough acid to keep it honest, and good length. Not heavy-handed, but substantive. This will go with any meat unless it's smothered in sweet barbecue sauce, which will kill ANY wine. (Stick to beer with that.)

 

[Tony S]

Speak of the devil. In photo: last bite of grilled tuna tataki with Sicilian evoo,

marjoram, basil, and Italian parsley. Celery slaw with arugula, salted almonds, and Vermont crėme frâIche. Fresh corn with lime-Tabasco butter. Provençal rose.

 

[Tricia]

 

[nay]

This shows, as long as there is potato salad...you can drink anything.

Or, if there is potato salad, you need to be drinking something..

 

[skibob]

Charts are kind of like statistics: Useful as far as they go, but they almost never go far enough to be useful.

The main problem with the chart is that it's mostly variety-centered rather than style-centered. IMO style matters much more than grape when it comes to bbq (or any other kind of food- or situation-pairing exercise). To the extent that there are exceptions, such as the aforementioned Cava and Provencal rose, it's precisely because specific styles are implied or named by those entries in the chart. By contrast, to say something goes with "chardonnay" is nearly meaningless because the styles of chardonnay are so varied. You can have cougar juice like Lindeman's Bin 65, or you can have a svelte steel-fermented thing like Elena Walch's from the Alto Adige. You can have Raveneau Chablis that tastes like a day and a night and another day on a beach of broken shells with someone you just met, or something lush but riveting like Kistler. It's all chardonnay but there is precious little family resemblance among them.

Let's say you've ruled out beer for some not-very-sensible reason. Some preferences for outdoor drinking:

1. Low to moderate alcohol levels, so that you don't get that "who put vodka in my wine?" effect that tends to emerge when drinker and/or weather are hot.
2. Never rule out bubbles!
3. Low to moderate tannin levels. Again, warmth tends to exaggerate tannin. Exception: Sometimes a charred, fatty piece of meat wants a red with some pumice in it to scrub out the mouth and the arteries.
4. Younger is better. Refreshing levels of juice with balancing acidity are good. Excessively lean and tart is no fun out in the sun, to be sure, and too much fruit without enough zing is worse: heavy and dull. An older wine with a lot of subtlety to it but not a lot of fruit left can be gorgeous on a November night at the dinner table with a rack of lamb, but generally gets lost out if you're outside in the bugs, standing next to a tiki lamp and holding a croquet mallet in one hand.

Here are a couple of wines I've had in the last month that suit me for outdoor enjoyment:

White: 2015 Avinyo Petillant. This is a super-crisp, slightly sparkling dry muscat from Spain. About ten bucks and a lot going on if you are paying attention and don't insist on being hit over the head. Drink with whatever snacks are lying around, or pretty much any kind of seafood that's not too heavily adulterated. A simple bruschetta, a spear of grilled asparagus, and a piece of fresh mozarella would be another good pairing. Don't settle for an earlier vintage; go young or go home.

View attachment 9683

Red: 2013 Cotes du Rhone "Barruol," Kermit Lynch. Class act. Fifteen dollars, more or less. Lots of crunchy juicy Grenache and Syrah fruit, enough acid to keep it honest, and good length. Not heavy-handed, but substantive. This will go with any meat unless it's smothered in sweet barbecue sauce, which will kill ANY wine. (Stick to beer with that.)

View attachment 9682

Damn Tony,

You know your wine. And not in a "i've memorized all the great vintages and chateau" kind of way that is usually implied by the boorish term "wine expert". In case you missed it above, I'm a winemaker. Agree with 100% of what you've said. Nicely done.

Edit: BTW, if you are doing a dry rub bbq rib (memphis style), Elena Walch's Lagrein is awesome too.

 

[cantunamunch]

I don't see Zinfandel or Pinot Grigio on the list.

Or champagne, which is just silly. Salmon with bubbly is YUMMMMMM.

 

[crgildart]

Here's our whine for the weekend cookouts today and tomorrow.. "I wish it would quit raining and give us better holiday weekend weather"

But, our veterans didn't get to choose the weather they fought and died for us in.. Gotta keep things in perspective and remember what we're supposed to be remembering!

Fort Gildart Weekend Kitchen.

 

[cantunamunch]

Today's tzatziki with dill, lamb burgers, and moroccan carrots was brought to you by the letter S for Santorini and sunscreen and A for Assyrtiko