May 19, 2008

Fire up the grill - Wines for Barbeques

With the official beginning of the pool and barbeque season just a week away (aka Memorial Day), I thought it might be relevant to talk about wines that you can pair with all-American fare. For the next six days we'll give you great picks to go with cookout cuisine and hopefully you'll find a little inspiration for planning your Memorial Day gathering. And since we're talking about wines for a crowd, we're going to try to keep our suggestions close to $15 or under (no promises).

Let's start with actual BBQ, my personal fave for big cookouts because nothing is better than long and slow. You can marinate and pre-cook BBQ ribs and brisket the day before so you're not in the kitchen when you should be by the pool. And then just finish everything on the grill when guests arrive. The meat will be fork tender and slathered in your sauce of choice. And the best wine to serve with these sticky, sweet and spicy treats? A big, bold zinfandel or a rich petite sirah. Both will have the intense ripe fruit and spice to complement the sauce and stand up to the meat. Two of our favorite barbeque zins:

Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2006 $15.99
Dusty raspberry, blackberry, white pepper and spice, with coffee and chocolate characters. Ripe fruit and soft tannins make this a mouth-coating rich vintage. Aging in new and used wood has lent this wine a subtle vanilla quality that nicely complements the explosive fruit notes. (from Wine.com)

Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel 2006 $12.79
Ancient vines in alluvial soil where roots grow very deep make this a ripe, lush Zin that's also concentrated and intense. Soft, round, spicy and jammy with voluptuous overtones of plums and blueberries, this wine lives large. (from Wine.com)

You could also do a wonderfully rich petite sirah. You'll get a similar jammy intensity, but not as much of the punch of spice. One real winner is the Vinum Pets. You can check our our previous review of that little gem.

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Comments

Funny to see you mention these two wines as I compared the base level Cline Zinfandel with the 2005 Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel, both available at TJ's, a short time ago. Both were nice but neither were overly impressive. Perhaps I'll give this two ago. Still hoping to find a Zin I really enjoy though was hoping to keep it under $10!

Posted by: Jason at May 20, 2008 12:37 AM

I agree with you on the basic Cline and the the Ravenswood Vintners Blend. They are both a little thin compared what you imagine a big jammy zin should be. Give the Lodi and the Ancient VInes a try (you may be able to find them cheaper at places like Costco, BevMo and sometimes even World Market). Another big zinfandel that I enjoy is the Santa Barbara Winery Zinfandel--though you won't find that one for $10 or under. In that price range, go for for a Primitivo from Puglia. More bang for your buck, though not as good of a match for BBQ (with sauce), it is a great match for any roasted meat.

Posted by: Noël Wallace at May 20, 2008 11:36 AM

Think I have seen both of those offerings at Cost Plus. Love the Primitivo too, have you had the A Mano?

Posted by: Jason at May 21, 2008 8:00 PM

I have not tried the A Mano, but I will definitely check it out. Cost Plus is one of my favorite places to shop for wine! I think it is just about that time of year when they have their HUGE 1/2 price sale. I'll have to investigate...

Posted by: Noël Wallace at May 21, 2008 10:11 PM