The Fourth of July is a great day to spend outdoors with family and friends, which is why it is considered one of the biggest barbecue days of the year. So how do you choose wines to pair with all of the different flavors that come off the grill? You have to be versatile with your selections, and although you could pair either a white or a red to accompany the meal, I choose all whites in order to help cool things off on a hot day.
A mixed grill is the perfect choice for the day — with selections of grilled chicken, barbecued ribs and hamburgers, along with grilled corn, onions and peppers and portobello mushrooms.
Grilled chicken pairs well with many different wines, but one of the better choices is a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. This wine has a couple of things that make it a favorable pairing for the heat of a summer day like the Fourth, namely that it is served chilled and it pairs well with such other grilled sides such as corn, portobello mushrooms and bell peppers.
I choose a 2007 Beringer Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc that retails for $13 and should be easy to find. This wine complemented the grilled chicken and the side dishes. I could taste grapefruit and other citrus flavors that led to a crisp finish, leaving a tingle in my mouth. I thought this wine was well balanced, which occurs when the acidity does not stand out against the fruit and alcohol.
If you desire a red wine, I would suggest a Malbec or a Chianti. Both of these wines generally contain some spicy flavors, with the Malbec being more full-bodied and the Chianti somewhat lighter.
In using the word “bodied” in relation to wine, it refers to how the weight of wine feels in the mouth and is affected by alcohol and the flavors of fruit, with wines being referred to as light-, medium- or full-bodied. In general terms, a Cabernet Sauvignon is full-bodied, while a Sauvignon Blanc is light-bodied. Many people prefer to drink lighter-bodied wines outside on a hot day.
Barbecued ribs require a wine that has a lot of flavors, and one of my favorite pairings is a big Syrah, with its deep, garnet color and peppery flavors. Alternatively, the tangy flavors contained in barbecue sauce pair well with a dry Riesling — a wine that is often overlooked, but is becoming more popular.
The 2008 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling fits the bill quite well as it is very food friendly. The wine starts with a variety of citrus flavors, but what I really enjoyed about this Riesling was the finish, because I could feel the thickness of the skin from a peach.
The standard fixture of the American grill — the hamburger — is more difficult to pair with red wine because of all the options of cheese and condiments. On the white side of the equation, I think a Pinot Grigio goes well with just about any combination of items that one chooses to compliment a burger. The 2007 Zenato Pinot Grigio, produced in the northeastern region of Italy, has a smooth, dry finish. I could taste the flavor of apple and this wine retails for $12 a bottle. With respect to a red wine and considering only cheeses, the choices are many and what you choose has a major impact on the wine selection with the following suggestions: blue cheese and Zinfandel, Swiss and Pinot Noir, cheddar and Merlot.
On the other hand, any of these cheeseburgers pair well with an ice cold beer.
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