Seeking a BBQ Wine Rec

WINE TALK
21

Use this one…

…in case your fire gets out of control and you can’t put your hands on the garden hose quick enough…

22

Many years ago, Danny Meyer did a tasting of wines with BBQ at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. The winners: Sparkling wine was first and beer & rose second-or at least that is how I remember the results. Shafer’s Firebreak did fairly well. Personally, I like zins with BBQ but it does depend on what exactly I’m eating - ribs, pulled pork, brisket, etc… what sauce, rub etc… And, of course, my mood. Lots of good recs here.

JD

23

Rhones and bones. I just had Pesquie Terrasses tasting (05, 06, 07… I prefered the funky 06) with Smoked Ribs Ala Landreth. Fantastic combo but sorta weird liking smoked meat but disliking heavily oaked wine. What a great way to spend a beaqutiful day with family and friends.

24

malbec and/or southern Rhone are my favorite matches for the stuff that comes off the grill… if you want to go for a not over the top zin, I would stick to Ridge - Geyser, Lytton or the cheaper Three Valleys

25

John Davis beat me to the punch.

Really great BBQ has rich flavors and scents mixed with a plethora of secondary ones. It’s to be savored and reveled in. For me, big, fat, rich red wines compete with BBQ, most often diminishing both of them. Sometimes the Q and the wine fight for recognition. And often I’ve found that the flavors of the Q mix with those of the wine, and it all ends up tasting, well, weird.

What’s needed is an adult beverage that supports the Q, plays second fiddle to it in order to show off its succulent essence.

So I like something cold and something that is crisp, clean, and straightforward.

In a way, beer is the best thing to accompany BBQ. But seeing as I don’t much like carbonated drinks, I’ve found that a nice, cold, bone-dry southern French rose is the way to go. On that count, larger-scale roses like those from the Tavel area aren’t as satisfying to me as the simpler ones that are lighter in color and body. Cheap, too. Maybe an exception is D. Tempier Bandol rose, but that’s too expensive for me now. But its dark minerality is sensational with great Q.

Anyway, just my opinion. YMMV.

26

Rose is always great with BBQ.

27

Yo Daniel,

If you can take a break from your Wine Berserkers posting and make it out to SoCal, give a shout and we’ll do some home-made low-‘n’-slow Q + rose + good conversation + hanging out… oh yeah!

28

Barnet

The last time we tried to meet, I had to cancel because I missed my flight to LA and we were supposed to do lunch when my flight landed. I will get out there soon.

29

Be sure to invite me!!!

30

Best matches lately have been over the top reds. Linne Calodo, Tobin James.

31

“BBQ” means so many different things, I find it impossible to answer the question.

Pork ribs?
Smoked brisket?
Grilled chicken slathered with “BBQ sauce”?
etc.
etc.

32

Barnet … I will get out there soon.

Dan, I’ll be here, no excuses next time. neener

Be sure to invite me!!!

Todd, for many reasons you have an open invitation if you come to our neck of the woods. For example, being a former cello player myself – in secondary school, that is – and a lover of classical music and string instruments in particular, it would be a pleasure to meet you. Now, that may not be a classical string instrument in my avatar, but it is a classical example of its type.

“BBQ” means so many different things, I find it impossible to answer the question.

Pork ribs?
Smoked brisket?
Grilled chicken slathered with “BBQ sauce”?
etc.
etc.

Yes, Fire-Master Robert, whose reputation preceeds him here. [good.gif] . Now we get to the meat of the issue. For me, Q encompasses the first two plus other various road kill and even non-protein items left to bathe in wood smoke at temps ranging from maybe 220 to 240, or a touch higher for pork ribs, and a touch higher still for yard bird. Grilled items are not Q but may be quite tasty nonetheless. In fact, I’ll take one ‘o them big, fat reds with my burger, thank you. But for the true-Q my preference is rose. Yum, I’m ready to fire up some oak, hickory, and orange wood in the Klose (prefer apple to orange but haven’t been able to get any) and get Q’in’!

33

So in what part of Socal are you, Barnet?

34

Thanks to everyone for the great response

Daniel Posner wrote:
What kind of price point?

Something more modest. Prob $20-$35
With so many great values in Rose, I generally try to keep it under $25

Robert Fleming
“BBQ” means so many different things, I find it impossible to answer the question.
Pork ribs?
Smoked brisket?
Grilled chicken slathered with “BBQ sauce”?

The very satisfying answer is I was intentionally vague. I use BBQ in a non-specific way, including most grilled red meat on a warm summer night. But at our place, the most common items are lamb burgers, BBQ beef brisket, short ribs +/- BBQ sauce, and your basic hamburger. Pork ribs and grilled chicken make a rare appearances

After recently returning from Southern France, I am particularly interested in exploring those wines. Also, always interested in finding well made (read: not overoaked, overripe, oversweet) zins. I was once a Zin lover; now more of a liker, b/c I find so many overdone.

35

Hi Mark,

Ah yes, summer grilling… fantastic. Good reds go great with these grilled foods, no doubt. I especially like southern Rhone wines with meat off the grill. And give the rose a try too, especially if the grilled meat is enhanced with all sorts of sauce.

Hey Todd, we be in Santa Monica.

36

As for another zin that is not over the top, I recommend Tofanelli Vineyard zins. Consistently well balanced, well made wines. Very good juice around $35 IIRC.

37

[winner.gif]

38

My vote goes to sparking wine and inexpensive Spanish old vines Garnacha.