Wine with Leslie: What wine to drink at a barbecue? Here are the best options at every price
What wine to drink at a barbecue?
From Barbecue to Shakespeare - it might not be intuitive but there is a linear connection. Harvard-based Anthropologist Richard Wrangham argues that cooking meat allowed us to absorb more nutrients and grow bigger brains and of course, we cooked that meat over fire. Sharing meat over a warm campfire in a cave or a glade led to language which led to storytelling, which eventually led to Shakespeare and Joyce.
I’ve simplified the theory and added a bit of my own but I think we can all agree that there are few more satisfying meals than those cooked over fire washed down by lively fruity red and white wines or perhaps a bit of fizz.
Cooking over fire and smoke is elemental so almost every country has a tradition of it, but it was enslaved African Americans that perfected the art in my view. Many years ago my wife and I drove from New York to New Orleans and from there to San Francisco with a copy of a book called as our only guide. New Orleans was the highlight of the trip thanks to a meal in Susan Spicer’s Bayona and the joy that is the Po’boy sandwich, but otherwise, our best food experiences were barbecue.
In Tennessee we found rich hickory-smoked beef and pork that melted in the mouth, in Texas we had low and slow-cooked brisket and in New Orleans, we had barbecue shrimp which is actually nothing to do with a grill but simply sautéed shrimp with spices, butter and lemon.
But it doesn’t have to be just meat. Dennis Cotter of Café Paradiso has written brilliantly about barbecue - a properly seasoned and basted grilled courgette or aubergine can be just as interesting as a rib-eye but calls for lighter wines. Similarly, grilled prawns or monkfish with a spicy or fruity baste will call for lively rosés and whites.
My selections for a barbecue this week then are not the usual rich ripe Malbecs and spicy oak-aged Riojas but wines for sloshing down with veg, fish and with pork. You could pair a smoky Pinotage or Malbec with slow-cooked pork but sometimes I want contrasting rather than complementary flavours. This weekend is said to be fairly warm with temperatures approaching 23 Celsius so see how you get on with salty citrus Veneto Lugana, crisp floral rosé, bristling dry Pét-Nat and a couple of juicy Beaujolais Crus - perhaps served a little cool to bring out those fruit flavours.
Stockist: O’Briens stores nationwide
O’Brien’s Rosé offerings are always one of the treats of summertime and this is one of my favourites. From the Cazes family of Ch. Lynch-Bages this pours a pleasing pale pink with lively floral and red fruit aromas - strawberries and even a hint of lychee on the palate and a clean dry finish. Also worth picking up is the Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses (€14.21), the Auzines Alaina (€12.71) and the Petit Bourgeois Pinot Noir (€13.13)
Stockist: O’Briens stores nationwide
The first of two Luganas I’m featuring this week - this one is reduced from €19.95 which makes it a bargain. Rizzardi is one of O’Brien’s best producers and I can’t fault any of their wines from their Pinot Grigio to their top Amarone. This has perfect summer citrus fruits with a light saline touch on the finish perfect for whetting your appetite or for serving with grilled monkfish or prawns.
Stockist: SuperValu
Beaujolais is perfect for serving a little cooler on a warm day and matches barbecue flavours well thanks to its soft black cherry fruits. There may be better Fleurie out there but not for less than €18 so this is well worth trying - ripe red fruit aromas with a cherry and raspberry, juicy plums and cherries on the palate and decent weight. Their Beaujolais Villages is also good but surprisingly costs a little more at €12.
Stockists: Cinnamon Cottage, Castle Tralee, JJ O’Driscolls, Wine Centre, Martins, Searsons,
Independents.
Prices for this seem to have gone up recently so you might find it at €20. Zenato wines are all about ripeness as anyone that knows their intense Amarone will attest. Similarly this is packed with flavour with lime essence, sweet apples and light herbal-spice aromas - ripe and supple on the palate with creamy edges and a tangy fresh finish.
Stockists: Urru Bandon, Mannings, Taste Castletownbere, Little Green Grocer, Ardkeen Stores, Mortons, Connemara Hampers, Vintry, Toonsbridge Stores, www.marypawlewines.com
PĂ©t-Nat is made for barbecues with enough weight to cope with spicy food but also good for sipping while you cook. A blend of 70-30 Xarel-lo and Muscat with a natural yeast ferment and the Muscat fermented in Amphora and bottled before fermentation was complete. Fragrant and textured with a light sparkle, creamy red fruits and lingering stony-lemon flavours.
Stockists: Mannings Ballylickey, Ardkeen Stores, Little Green Grocer Kilkenny, Vintry Rathgar, Toons Bridge Macroom & Georges St., www.marypawlewines.com
Bonne Tonne is finally back in stock with a new vintage but with the same glorious soft fruits. This vintage will likely sell out also so buy it while you can as it is a match for far more famous Morgon that cost as much as 20% more. Ripe black cherry fruits, concentrated, textured weighty black raspberry and plums, lingering and delicious.
Stockists: Next Door Off-Licence Group, McCambridges, Asia Market, Celtic Whiskey Shop www.celticwhiskeyshop.com, IrishMalts.com, www.ahascraghdistillery.com
Ahascragh Distillery was founded by Michelle and Gareth McAllister who spent time in Asia before returning to Ireland to open their distillery in an old mill in East Galway. The mill already has a shop & visitor centre and is due to begin whiskey distilling later this year - as well as Xin Gin watch for Clan Colla Whiskey.
Xin uses a mix of European & Asian botanicals - Juniper hits the nose first (as it should) followed by citrus, orange peel and spice - tropical fruits mingle with cinnamon and herb notes on the palate and the finish has a creamy black pepper kick. A very solid debut.
