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Barbecue Wines: Think BBQ

Almost everyone has his or her idea about what constitutes real barbecue. Across the states, indeed around the world, barbecuing styles, techniques, sauces, and even the cuts of meat differ vastly. The recently published Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen covers the subject thoroughly, traversing six global barbecue zones, and even attributes the birth of civilization to this type of cooking. Barbecue is also popular on the web, where the most comprehensive site appears to be Barbecue’n On the Internet.

When I use the term “barbecue” in this feature, I am referring to plain old backyard-style barbecue on a grill, where meat (either pork, chicken, or beef) is cooked slowly over fire, and basted with a piquant, sweet sauce that is either homemade or (sorry Ms. Stewart) store bought. These sauces usually have a common thread of ketchup, vinegar, or mustard and get their sweetness from molasses, honey, brown sugar, or even fruit. Ideally they should be used to complement and not, as is all too often the case, smother the concentrated flavors of the meat. Although this type of barbecue doesn’t come close to any of the four classic American barbecue styles (North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City, or Texas), their adherents may nonetheless enjoy the wines we’re recommending here.

When selecting wines for barbecue, think BBQ: big, bold, and quaffable. Any wine for this type of fare should have all three qualities. They should be big wines—full bodied, with a minimum alcohol content of 13% and plenty of fruit extract. They should be bold assertive wines (no room here for coy)—with forward fruit flavor, spice, and pepper along with good acidity. Finally they should be quaffable—smooth, delicious, easy to drink, gulpable. Wines for barbecue should be able to support the succulence of the meat brought out by the slow cooking and not be overwhelmed by or compete with the piquancy and sweetness of the sauce.

For this feature, we cooked up some chicken and ribs and used a store-bought sauce (KC Masterpiece, Original). As is our custom, we tasted each of the wines by themselves and then sampled them with the food. Because we were hard pressed to find white wines that could stand up to the sauce, we chose to taste only reds.

1998 Domaine de L'Ameillaud, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse ($5.99)

This red Rhone wine is deep ruby in color and shows good legs. It has a forward nose of currants and black pepper that seems to leap from the glass. Smooth on entry, this wine delivers plenty of spice and pepper along with mild tannins and good acidity. And its flavors linger on the palate. It was also very good with the food. This is a most pleasant wine and, given its price, a remarkable value.

N.V. Paul Avril, Le Petit Vin d'Avril, Vin De Table de France ($7.99)

Garnet in color, this simple table wine has an earthy nose that one taster aptly, though not pejoratively, described as "new vinyl." It's smooth and light on the palate with plenty of flavor that starts off like crushed pepper but then becomes sweet like pastilles and licorice. It also has a nice finish. It was quite good with the food.

1997 Laurel Glen, Reds, California Red Wine ($7.99)

Deep ruby in color and gemlike, this wine has beautiful long legs. It has an intoxicating nose of black cherries. Full bodied and dry, on the palate it's jammy with lots of black cherry flavor balanced with mild tannins and good acidity. It finishes well. This is just a lip-smacking, wonderful wine and a great bargain. Held up well with the food.

N.V. Monterey Peninsula, Black Burgundy, Califonia Red Table Wine ($9.99)

Deep ruby in color, this wine has long, long legs. Its nose is cherry; its entry, silky. On the palate, it's full bodied but lean. There are black cherry flavors with beefy underpinnings and good acidity. It also finishes nicely. Was quite good with the chicken.

1998 Rosemount Estate, Shiraz, South Eastern Australia ($9.99)

Deep ruby in color with long legs and a black cherry nose, this wine is silky and full bodied. Big and bold on the palate with delicious black cherry flavor balanced with good tannins. Its flavors last and coat the tongue. It also has an excellent mid-palate and great finish. This is a wonderfully quaffable wine. It was extraordinary both with the ribs and the chicken. Definitely a star of this tasting.

1997 Manousakis Winery, Nostos, Crete ($10.99)

Deep purple/black in color, this Greek wine made from Rhone varietals (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Rousanne) has good legs and an earthy barnyard nose. There's also a hint of burnt matches. Full bodied and full flavored, it delivers subtle beefy, cherry flavors on the palate balanced with mild tannins and good acidity. It has a long finish. Another star of this tasting.

1997 Alderbrook, Zinfandel, Sonoma County OVOC ($11.99)

Garnet in color with good legs, this Zinfandel has a big nose of black cherry and hints of cracked black pepper. On the palate, it's full bodied and offers beautiful flavors—a mélange of blackberry, cherry, and black pepper. These flavors just seem to linger and, as might be expected, the wine finishes beautifully. It's well balanced and has good acidity. This wine was great with the food and just cut through the fat of the ribs. Another favorite of this tasting.

1997 Yalumba, Bush Vine Grenache "Barossa Growers" Australia ($13.99)

Ruby in color with long legs, this Grenache from 70-year-old vines has an herbaceous, wet-grass nose. It's silky on entry with bold flavors of herbs and cumin. Full bodied (14.9% alcohol) with good acidity and tannins, the wine's rich flavors last and engage the palate. A great finish as well. Track this one down.

1996 Zenato, Ripassa, Valpolicella DOC, Superiore ($14.99)

Ruby in color with long legs, the wine has a luscious black cherry nose. It's smooth and elegant on the palate and delivers cherry and raisin-like flavors. Well balanced, this complex wine oozes with finesse. It was extraordinary with the food.

TableWine is a personal website and does not sell any wine. However, many of the wines we review are purchased from our local wine merchant, Wine & Spirit World. Their web site may help you locate a good number of our selections.

If you have any suggestions for future tastings, drop us a line at the address below.