• Nationwide
  • Toronto
  • Vancouver
  • Calgary
  • Montreal
  • Los Angeles
  • Chicago
  • NYC
Eligible Magazine
  • Dating
    • Editor’s Dating Notes
    • Better Dating Ideas
    • “The Bachelor” Advice
    • Guy Talk
    • Girl Talk
  • Relationships
  • Sex
  • Events
  • Fashion
    • Men’s Style
    • Women’s Style
  • Lifestyle
    • Gossip
    • Wine & Dine
    • Luxurious Living
    • Entertainment
    • Destinations
  • Wellness
    • Men’s Fitness
    • Women’s Fitness
    • Get Inspired
    • Doctor’s Orders
    • A Better YOU
    • Beauty
  • Bachelor & Bachelorette
  • Cities
    • Nationwide
    • Toronto
    • Vancouver
    • Calgary
    • Montreal
    • Los Angeles
    • Chicago
    • NYC
bbq wines
Wine & Dine 0

The 10 Best Barbecue Wines

By Benjamin North Spencer @wordsnwine · On August 25, 2015

I love to barbecue. There is something uniquely gratifying about preparing foods over an open fire. In a few recent articles in this series I’ve touched on rosé wines and light wines for the summer, plus some great sangria recipes, but now I’d like to talk barbecue wines.

bbq wines

When I think about barbecue, I think about slowly cooking moist sweet-savory meats over a hot coals, and my mouth begins to water. I can imagine myself standing near the grill, the smell of smoke combining with the fresh outdoors. These are exactly the same feelings that a barbecue wine should evoke—a kind of primordial revelry.

Any winery can say that their wines are great with barbecue, but what you want is an unforgettable barbecue experience. That means finding a wine with several crucial flavors that pair well with the meat (or any thing else: vegetables, tofu, cheese, etc.) that you might put on the grill.

The crucial flavors to look for in a great barbecue wine are sweetness, savoriness (umami), and fruitiness. Those qualities lead me to a few key points in the wine market and in particular to very specific wines.

American Zinfandel is a hallmark barbecue wine. Not only is Zinfandel jam-packed with luscious flavors of fruits and spices and opulent soft tannins, it’s one wine that almost always tastes sweet. Zinfandel typically has some residual grape sugar that did not ferment.

bbq wines

Part of the reason behind Zinfandel’s sweetness is its difficult ripening schedule. The berries of each cluster ripen at different speeds. When it comes time to harvest, some grapes may have a potential alcohol level of 20% where others only have a potential alcohol of 12%. The resulting wine has an average alcohol of 16% and this is where most fermentation yeasts stop working, leaving unfermented sugars in the finished wine.

The northern Italian wines Dolcetto and Amarone are two of my favorite barbecue wines from Europe. Where Dolcetto pairs great with elegant-styled barbecue meals (featuring vegetables and white meats, real silverware and cloth napkins), Amarone’s tannins and high alcohols create a wine with a streak of wildness that tastes great with game and lamb recipes.

New SkitchFor barbecue recipes that include marbled meats, sausages, and hamburgers—which have a higher fat content—or for those who prefer drier red wines with more structure and less perceptible sweetness, I suggest trying Spanish Tempranillo and Sicilian Nero d’Avola blends.

Not only do the wines listed above feature incredible concentrations of fruit, variations in tannins and acidity, they tend to be made with a measured use of oak. Wines that are aged in oak connect the aromas and flavors of toasted barrels—vanilla, spices, smoke—to that of the main entrée.

RELATED: The Joy Of Cooking With Wine

For barbecue that focuses on lighter meats, fish and vegetables, several white wines are tasty enough to convert even the most steadfast red-wine devotees.

bbq wines

The white wines I use for barbecue meals usually have some sweetness to them. German Rieslings (spatlese or auslese styles) feature delicious fruit with a succulent, mouthwatering palate. Alsatian Gewurztraminer has an incredible bouquet of aromas, and a wonderful sweet and spicy profile. Similarly, Spanish Albariño, Argentina’s Torrontes, and Greek Moschofilero have captivating aromas and flavors that send your standard white wines back to the refrigerator.

When you’re buying your next barbecue wine, don’t reach for your comfort zone, reach for an experience. Reach for something that will make you say, “Wow.”

I look forward to your comments.

Share Tweet

Benjamin North Spencer

Benjamin North Spencer is an author, international wine consultant, winemaker, journalist, wine judge, and educator. He is the founder of American Wine Writer and The Etna Wine School (in Sicily, Italy). He travels the world studying and promoting obscure grape varieties, unsung wine regions, and the many pleasures that can be found through wine and other beverages.

You Might Also Like

  • Better Dating Ideas

    Better Dating Ideas Montréal: September 29th – October 6th

  • 3 Dishes You Should Make At Home Wine & Dine

    3 Dishes You Should Make At Home

  • Dating Ideas Los Angeles Better Dating Ideas

    Better Dating Ideas Los Angeles: March 31st – April 3rd

More from this author

  • wine lover Wine & Dine

    Creative Gift Ideas For The Wine Lover On Your List

  • sangria Wine & Dine

    Three Must Know Sangria Recipes

  • Cooking with wine Wine & Dine

    The Joy Of Cooking With Wine

No Comments

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Search

Subscribe & Follow

Follow @EligibleZine
Follow on Instagram
Eligible Magazine Pheed
Follow eligiblezine

Find us on Facebook

Eligible TV

Twitter: eligiblezine

  • There really is no place like home especially when our beaches are this beautiful we got together the best beaches… https://t.co/hiMFCfYUoO 04:00:23 PM July 12, 2019 from Hootsuite Inc.
  • RT @EligibleZine: As time goes, on nature takes its course. An aging parent is hard enough to handle, let alone while keeping your relation… 11:43:50 AM July 12, 2019 from Twitter for iPhone
  • Comfort is great when it comes to beds, couches and clothes but for your life it can be limiting to your best poten… https://t.co/Le9uIQq6pg 10:45:15 AM July 08, 2019 from Hootsuite Inc.

Eligible Poll

Eligible Magazine now available on iPad, iPhone and smartphone

  • Contributors

About

Eligible Magazine is a lifestyle magazine for urban men and women who want the best from their dating life, their relationships and themselves. It features articles and video content on dating, relationships, sex, wellness and lifestyle by some of the country's foremost experts. The magazine is available online, for sale on Apple's Newsstand for your iPad or iPhone and soon to be in print.

Recent Posts

  • Two Iconic Toronto Lifestyle Brands Unite

  • motionball 2022

    Motionball 2022 – Why You Should Mark Your Calendar

  • Why A Staycation Is Perfect For Your Next Date Night

  • Perfume for Women: What’s the Difference?

Contact

Contact Eligible Magazine
Work for Eligible Magazine
Advertise with Eligible Magazine
Write for Eligible Magazine
Unsubscribe
Privacy Policy

Search

© 2013 Eligible Magazine. All rights reserved.
  • Sitemap
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Copyright
  • Privacy & Cookie Policy
  • Advertising
  • Announcements
Eligible Magazine
Eligible Magazine on Apple App Store