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During the last month or so, the wine literaure has been chock full of suggestions about wines to use with barbecue. I have yet to see a single article address the meaning of barbecue. To many of us, the suggestion of barbecue evokes aromas and tastes of tangy sauces comprising combinations of peppers, spices, onions, brown sugar, lemon, etc. Others say the barbecue is open air cooking.
In a strictly literal sense, the latter group is correct. Barbecue comes originlly from an Arawak word denoting a structure on which meat could be dried or roasted. The Spanish corrupted the word to mean an apparatus for such use, and that’s how the word came to us in the 20th century — to which we added the suggestion that men rather than women would do the barbecuing.
That said, why should we consider specifyng wines for the barbecue? Is a steak grilled over a gas flame on the patio any different from a steak grilled on a kitchen range? If so, won’t the usual Zinfandels, Cabernets, and Shirazes do? Of course. An argument can be made, however, that if the barbecuing takes place over charcoal or wood chips, the same wines may not do. One should be sure that the wine is not overcome by the impact of the smoke, whether from coal or wood, but that it can still equal the meat and its sauce.
Ah, the sauce. If the former group, the group for whom a barbecue means a tangy sauce, forget a perfect match between food and wine. There is no wine that goes well with a tangy barbecue sauce. Lest I be shot at sunrise, let me hasten to add that when faced with a barbecue sauce, I advocate selecting a wine you like and prepare to enjoy it no matter what. I further advocate that you keep the wine simple, because the complexities of a really serious wine will be lost among the flavors of pepper, onion, brown sugar, and other spices.
And for the literary purists who recognize barbecuing as outdoor grilling, my advice is similar. If you’re really outdoors, we assume warm, even hot, weather. Hot weather is not conducive to red wine service. Choose a simple wine you like, then enjoy it. If it must be red, choose one you can cool a bit, like a young Beaujolais or a Dolcetto. Better yet, think rose. For a white with a touch of body against a steak, consider a Pinot Gris or a Rheingau Riesling.
I am ever reminded of the legendary wine purist Andre Simon, while touring Australia visiting wineries and wine producers anxious to please him, on a very hot afternoon declined a wonderful Shiraz and asked for a beer.
2 comments
You mentioned wines to serve with steak, but what about meats like chicken? Is white wine still the best bet with the temperature?
Good question, Anthony. Depends on how the chicken is prepared. Cream sauces like white wine, fried or grilled seem to prefer light reds or roses. However, it’s your preference that really counts! When the weather is very hot, red wine cringes and your palate craves quenching. White wines and roses can stand the heat (because they are slightly chilled) and please the palate. As mentioned above, however, a light red, cooled just a bit, can also work. If you’re using a tomato-based or barbecue-type sauce, a light Italian or Italian-style red is also a good choice.