BBQ Weekend Summer Wines

Now that summer is officially here let's BBQ! Fill the cooler with ice and stock it with your favorite soft drinks.

Make a batch of fresh lemonade and iced tea and garnish with fresh orange and lemon slices.

Now for the wine. Put your whites and rose wines in a bucket with half ice and half water. The wines will be perfectly chilled.

Here are a few suggestions for red wines to enjoy with your grilled burgers, steaks, chicken and fish.

Syrah or Shiraz is a red wine that pairs well with most red meats. Syrah/Shiraz has strong fruit flavors and softer tannins. Go Meat!

Zinfandel is a rich wine with good acidity and tannins that can stand up to the burger. Keep the burgers simple so the wine doesn't have to compete with too many strong flavors in the bbq sauce or other spicy sauces and salsas.

Merlot is a medium-bodied, fruit-forward wine with very balanced acidity and tannins. Merlot will be able to handle some of the spicy sauces you might want to add to your burger. Merlot is also a good pairing for chicken and cold salads.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the King of red wine which makes it perfect for the king of red meat - steak. The rich red wine has strong tannins that are softened by the fattiness in the meat. If you decide on cheeseburgers then cabernet sauvignon is a perfect choice with the cheddar, blue cheese and camembert.

Pinot Noir is very food-friendly. If you are still not sure which wine red wine you would like then try a Pinot Noir . It has all you need to make your food and wine pairing a success whether you are having fish, burgers, pork, chicken and a variety of vegetarian salads. (One tip is to keep the heat of the spices on the low end of the heat scale as the heat kicks up the alcohol on your palate and it also tends to repress the more delicate flavors in some pinots).

Our palates are very different so my philosophy is always - drink what you like and it will be perfect. However, if you are having guests and want a wine to pair with your specific menu selections than the suggestions above should help.

When you are shopping for wine don't hesitate to ask the salesperson for recommendations. Let them know what you will be serving and they will be happy to help.

If you like shopping on line wine.com is offering great deals. If you want to send your host a gift wine.com will ship direct. No Hassle!



Have a safe and happy 4th of July!


Salute!
Winelady Cooks