The upcoming Memorial Day weekend usually means BBQ’s-aplenty. California Cab and Chard are easy go-to wines for grilling, but we wanted to explore some other great options for your next BBQ. We compiled some popular grilled items including asparagus, salmon, chicken, and pork ribs. We tasted 8 wines first and then tasted them again with the foods. The results were surprising!
Grilled asparagus complimented the whites, including the Riesling, which we didn’t expect. Gruner Veltliner is usually a good match for grilled veggies, but this time it wasn’t our #1. The Greek white was surprisingly good with a lot of the dishes. Lemon chicken loved the Gruner and Chateauneuf. Salmon was great with the two Italian wines, Lagrein & Dolcetto. The sweet bbq sauce from the ribs actually made them pair well with the Riesling, as well as the more obvious reds, namely the Syrah. In terms of versatility, Assyrtico and Lagrein won for going with everything!
List of wines:
1. JJ Prum Riesling Kabinett Graacher Himmelreich 2007 – Mosel, Germany
2. Domaine Wachau Gruner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel 2010 – Austria
3. Thalassitis Assyrtico 2009– Santorini, Greece
4. Chateau Guiot Rose 2010 – Rhone Valley, France
5. Joseph Hofstatter Lagrein 2009 – Alto Adige, Italy
6. Massolino Dolcetto d’Alba 2009 – Piedmont, Italy
7. Les Cailloux Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2008 – Southern Rhone, France
8. Vidal-Fleury Saint Joseph 2007 – Northern Rhone, France
Thanks to Jason for a great pairing class and to all who attended!
Check out our Facebook page for pictures from recent classes:
Have a great holiday weekend!
–Melanie Friedman
