Wine for barbecue, wine for grilling

Just finished eating a lovely grilled flank steak, first with a single vineyard, Andrew Murray Syrah (2002 Gainey Vineyard - brief aside: visited there a few years ago and subscribed to the their mailing list for a year or so, found the wines overdone fruit bombs so I canceled) which was actually very nice, if a tiny bit pricey, much more restrained and structured than his blends which may not be saying much but it was really quite good, followed by a 2002 Catena Cab, which was perfect with the meat. Enough body to hold up against the smoky flavor, the garlic, a bit of a chewy wine, but not over the top.

Made me think - what are your favorite wines with barbecue and grilled meats?

For me, I really like the South American reds - Carmenere, Cab, and Malbec from Chile and Argentina. They have some fruit and sugar that matches the crusted meat, smoke flavor, and seasoning. Different ones go best with different types of grill/barbecue for sure, but they have the intensity of flavor that holds up well. In general I do not drink these wines that often, but they have their place.

So, for a grilled steak with lots of garlic, I nominate a Chilean Cab, specifically Catena, as a very pleasant match. Any other nominees?

It is that time of year.

My default recommendation here is a Sonoma Zin (Russian River or Dry Creek Valley/Healdsburg being tops), one that's plenty hot (shoot for about 14% or even 15% alcohol) and made from old vines fruit. Dry Creek Vineyard is an obvious example, and not expensive, either.

If I am grilling red meat and eating it somewhere not too hot, probably my favorite grape is Petite Sirah. Bogle is a decent inexpensive one, de Bortoli from australia is a better inexpensive one, and Mettler is a very good, more expensive one.
If I am grilling other things, mostly shrimp or chicken thighs, or if I am eating red meat outside when it is warm, my go to wine is dry Rose. A few years ago, almost any dry rose that you could find, and there werent too many of them, was good. They have gotten so much publicity in the last year or two (including articles in the Wall st journal, Tribune, and a cover of the Wine Speculator in the last month) that a lot more is being brought in, and the quality is much more variable. At the higher end, any Tavel or Bandol will probably be very good. The under $10 range is getting a lot more hit or miss, though the Marquis de Caceras (sp?) from Spain is always a good value, and most of the Rhone ones are decent.

-Will

DH suggests - for grilled Steak, a Malbec either from Cahors or Argentina. For grilled Salmon, Pinot Noir or a good Rose'. For grilled Lamb a wine from the Medoc. BBQ Ribs and Zinfandel are a good pairing, though some Pinots can carry that off as well (this would be NOT the sticky sweet sauced ribs).

WillG wrote:...dry Rose...

We tasted a few nice Rose of Pinot Noir when we were out in Oregon (Willamette Valley) last month, though I have no idea if they are very available in Chicago yet.

Muga Rioja and Artazuri are both good Spanish Roses around $10.

I just tried an over-priced and trendy one at Brasserie Jo the other day, Domaines Ott. Insipid, hardly any flavor at all.

Back in The Day, when I was the wine writer for the Kansas City Star, I used to do fairly regularly a 'what's the best wine with X?' event, maybe entering a dozen different varietals, some good examples of X, and some of the most skilled tasters in KC, tasting blind, of course.

The grilled KC strip event had some astounding results. All the Usual Suspects--zin, big cab, syrah, you name it--didn't show very well: the charcoally-ness of the steak stood out, and, even worse, there was a grainy texture which seemed to be directly proportional to tannin levels.

PN didn't do badly, but what did really really well was a barbera d'asti. It was absolute perfection with a grilled steak. I must admit to being surprized, but there you have it.

I later tried an Amador County barbera, which also did quite well.

So, whenever anyone asks 'what to drink with a grilled steak?' I do not hesitate to recommend a barbera.

Geo

Depends on the cuts and the delicacy of the meats. I am a HUGE cabernet fan and currently we are working our way through a variety of California and French Cabs. I adore 05 Oregon Pinos, especially Patty Green's stuff.

Last weekend had a 2002 St. Innocent Shea Vineyard Pinot that was outstanding with just salt and peppered grilled lamb chops from Paulina Market.

My bargain find of the year so far though is the 2002 Cote D'Avila in the close out bin of Binny's at $4.99. Scrounged up 12 bottles for a case discount bringing it down to $4.50. This blend goes with just about anything you throw at it including spicy and smoked foods. It was perfect tonight with grilled Italian sausage and red sauce spaghetti. It's also been great with everything from burritos to pot stickers and even survived rib tips with sauce from Honey One. It's straining a little bit for its age but still has nice black fruit, a little bit of licorice and good tannins. Beats the tail off any bottle with an animal on it!

Hi,

Recently ChicaGourmets had a dinner at Smoque with the following wines represented:

Santa Julia Viognier (Argentina)
Araucano Clos de Lolol (Chile)
Hope Estate Shiraz (Australia)
Santa Barbara Winery Zinfandel (USA)

Wines presented by Lee Schlesinger Winesellers, Ltd.

I wasn't present, I simply took this information from the promotional information.

Regards,

richard's wild irish rose...

seriously man...you're overdoing it here, like a chiarello chimp.

barbecue is all about slurp 'n blurp.

either stick with the malts, hops or just plain ol' sody pop.

everyone will love ya for it... really!