Grilling and Wine

With the start of baseball’s spring training and the NCAA tournament’s selection Sunday less than two weeks away, we are moving right along into spring and that means it is getting back into grilling season.  The vast majority of grilled food will go with some sort of red wine (except for fish and some chicken recipes), so that will be the concentration for this post.

Cabernet Sauvignon will go well with just about any grilled meat, but that is too easy and not adventurous enough.  I like to try out different wines when grilling, and I’ve found that Syrah/Shiraz is probably my favorite pairing for anything from burgers to steaks to sausages.  Old vine Zinfandel runs a close second.  I like the Syrah or Zinfandel pairing with grilled foods because, for the most part, you can get a better Syrah or Zin for much less than you can get a good Cab.

I’d be willing to bet that the average price for a Syrah or Zin rated 90+ points is about two-thirds the price of a Cab rated 90+ points.  By going with a cheaper wine, you can upgrade your meat quality without spending a fortune on a single meal, and the best part is, you’re not likely to sacrifice any quality, just trading out equally delicious wines.

Old vine Zin and Syrah pair so well with barbecue because they are not overpowered by hearty meats, but being the big wines they are, they also don’t over power the meat.  The spice tastes that can be found in both these wines go great with most marinades, barbecue sauces, and most marinades.  The one drawback that I’ve found is that when the weather starts to heat up, drinking a big red wine just doesn’t seem all that refreshing.  I don’t have a lot to offer to counter this feeling, but there are a few little things you can do.  First, serve the wine at room temperature, keeping in mind that the term room temperature refers to about 55-60 degrees.  This might mean that you have to put the wine in the fridge for just a few minutes (key words- just a few minutes).  Getting the wine too cold will dull its flavors.  Or, start off your meal with appetizers and have a chilled rose or white wine to cool everyone down on a warm day.

It’s hard to go wrong with wine and food when you grill, so if you’ve got another wine you like to have with the grill, let me know.