Wine + BBQ = Bliss

After all those hours spent slaving over hot coals creating the ultimate BBQ dining extravaganza, there are few things in life more pleasant than sitting back, relaxing and admiring your beautifully manicured lawn or pristine patio, and sipping a glass of wine which perfectly complements your culinary marvel. At Premier Estates Wine, certainly one of the more popular research activities for our team of wine experts is the exploration of how each of our wines complements different types of food. Not surprisingly, this is a time consuming exercise, given the huge array of possible meal types and our extensive wine range.

For the purposes of this article, we will look specifically at which of our wines best complement different types of barbecued food. As covered in our previous article, our Spring/Summer wine sales schedule looks markedly different from our Autumn/Winter one, as consumers tend more towards white, rosé and sparkling wines during the Summer months. This certainly doesn’t mean that red wine can’t be enjoyed as a Summer wine and there’s nothing stopping you from chilling your red for a short while before serving. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some Summer wine and barbecue food pairings as lovingly researched and recommended by our team.

Minced Beef or Lamb Burgers
Medium or full-bodied, fruity and oak aged red wines go perfectly with burgers. Our Italian Shiraz and our Australian Shiraz red wines are just the ticket to complement the sizzling grilled meat flavours. Our Australian Shiraz was a winner at the recent Decanter World Wine Awards so you don’t just have to take our word for it when it comes to quality – the world’s foremost wine experts can't get enough of this sumptuously fruity red either.

If you’re a big fan of rosé wine, that old summer wine favourite, you might like to try our Californian Zinfandel Rosé. Make sure it’s well and truly chilled to enjoy it at its very best with your burger.

Barbecued Steak
As well as our Italian and Australian Shiraz red wines, our Californian and Italian Cabernet Sauvignon reds will go beautifully with your grilled beef steak. There’s nothing quite like the red berry aromas of a rich red wine blending with your juicy steak. Don’t be afraid to serve your Cab Sauv chilled either.

Hot dogs or Sausages
Rosé wines go wonderfully with the humble hot dog. Take your pick from our Italian Pinot Grigio Blush (particularly good with pork sausages), our South African Shiraz Rosé or our Californian Zinfandel Rosé. The ultimate Summer wines to enjoy with ultimate straightforward barbecued food.

Pork Chops or Ribs
Obviously pork is a lighter meat than beef, but when it comes to chops or ribs it’s more the marinade or sauce that will dictate the best choice of complementing wine. A spicy marinade will pair amazingly well with our South African Pinotage (one of our many International Wine Challenge award winners) but a creamy or tomato based sauce works best with our Italian Garganega Pinot Grigio or South African Chenin Blanc. Once again, that most versatile of Summer wines, our Californian Zinfandel Rosé, will pair equally well with marinades both sweet and spicy.

Chicken
This was a difficult one and took some seriously intensive research over a longer period of time – at least that’s what the team told us! Barbecued chicken is one of those meats that goes equally well with just about any wine. The team at Premier Estates Wine recommend our multi-award-winning Californian Chardonnay or our Chilean Sauvignon Blanc if you’re more of a white wine fan. Any of our three rosé wine varietals or our South African Pinotage also work beautifully, especially if there’s some spicy Piri Piri chicken on the menu.

Barbecued Vegetables
If your Summer wine of choice is intended to complement grilled veggies, such as vegetarian kebabs or a corn-on-the-cob, our Italian or Chilean Sauvignon Blanc will provide the perfect accompaniment. The fruity, citrus finish of these wines make them ideal dining companions for the more subtle veggie tastes.

Fish
Barbecued tandoori cod is always a favourite amongst seafood fans and our Italian or Californian Chardonnay makes the best accompanying Summer wine treat. Serve with crushed ice for the ultimate in refreshment and to soak up that tandoori heat. Our Chardonnays also provide a zesty zing which works well with more meaty fish such as grilled salmon, tuna fish or swordfish steaks. 

Now it’s time to decide upon your menu, stock up your fridge with the appropriate Premier Estates Summer wine, and get the barby going before sitting back and relax whilst enjoying great food, great wine and keep your fingers crossed for the great weather.

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