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Barbecue Wines
What is a barbecue? Every country has its own ideas but what we are talking about here is the 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 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 their adherents may nonetheless enjoy the wines we’re recommending here.
When selecting wines for barbecue, think BBQ: big and bold. 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 with forward fruit flavor, spice, and pepper along with good acidity. Finally they should be smooth, delicious, easy to drink in a word; 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. Here are a few wines that we would recommend:
1998 Domaine de L'Ameillaud, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
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 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
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,
California Red Table Wine
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
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.
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