Wine and BBQ:
Wine picks for your barbecue
By
RICHARD KINSSIES
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER WINE WRITER
It's official: Summer has arrived and with it our semiannual lifestyle change, which includes the clothes we wear, the food we eat and, of course, the wines we drink.
I find it interesting that in the fall, our other semiannual lifestyle change, we bring out the soup pot and the big reds and relegate any light white or pretty pink wine to a fond summer memory. But in the summer, when we trot out the pink wines and the crisp and light white wines we really don't give up on the big reds; we're just more selective about when we drink them.
Imagine a big slab of meat smoking and slow grilling on a wood fire served up with buttered corn, grilled rustic bread and a spicy black bean salad. Are you going to bring out the rose? The pinot gris or some light-footed Beaujolais? I don't think so. You'll most likely be reaching for one of those Godzilla zins no matter what the temperature. That said, I have no big monster zinfandels to recommend with barbeque but I do have a rose, a pinot gris and a couple of nice and juicy medium/full bodied reds that should work quite well with pretty near everything -- maybe even that big slab of meat.
2004 Sobon Estate ReZerve Amador County Rose
($10)
Texture is as important to a wine as it is to food and it's the soft and creamy texture of this wine mingled with the flavors and scents of summer fruit that really holds your attention. The Sobon folks tried to emulate the dry style of southern French roses beginning with their choice of grapes including grenache, syrah and carignane. This copper-colored wine has enough stuffing to hold up to richer foods, such as salmon, pork chops and maybe even ribs. (Grape Expectations, 206-763-4132)
2002 Airlie Willamette Valley Pinot Gris
($10)
Pinot gris is arguably the most important white grape in Oregon and for good reason; it seems to be the wine for all seasons -- and foods. This could be the white wine you drank all last winter and now it's ready for just about anything you can throw on the grill. Try it with grilled vegetables, salmon or halibut but also with grilled Dungeness crab and those big, succulent Pacifica oysters roasted in their own juices. (Grape Expectations)
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2003 Terra Rosa Mendoza, Argentina Malbec
($13)
Malbec is one of the least favored of Bordeaux's red grapes but the Argentines, having shown it more respect, have been rewarded with a unique high-quality wine that has become their red wine calling card. The Terra Rosa has all the right stuff needed for those deliciously fatty red meats coming off the grill or out of the barbecue. It's got spicy black fruit flavors, lots of tannin and good acidity, yet still shows lots of style. (Noble Wines, 206-326-5274)
2003 Ca'del Solo Big House Red
($10)
Big House Red is made by the sometimes wacky folks at Bonny Doon Vineyard winery in Santa Cruz, Calif. Though the name on the label implies this is a big, as in full bodied, red house wine, it in fact refers to the state correctional facility near the vineyards where the grapes for this wine were grown. Isn't that a hoot? Uncork (actually, you'll have to unscrew) a bottle of Big House Red when you have the need for a big juicy -- and not too serious -- red to wash down, well, just about anything, except maybe prison food. (Noble Wines)
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Richard Kinssies is a freelance wine writer, director of the Seattle Wine School and owner of the Wine Outlet downtown. He can be contacted at 206-652-1311 or [email protected].
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