RECOMMENDED BARBECUE WINES FOR EARLY SUMMER
Memorial Day weekend has always been an indicator of the beautiful summer days ahead. Warm nights by the grill with a hunk of meat or some beautiful veggies sizzling up, and a ice bucked with a crisp white wine and a bottle of red for dinner! Of course there are so many different styles of BBQ as well as ways you can prepare a cut of meat or season your veggies sometimes we can find some awesome pairings that you might not think of. A great bottle of Pinot Noir and a nice steak is one of my favorite meals personally. I love Malbec or Syrah with tri-tip. Grilling up some fish? Check out our awesome rose selection.There so many cool things you can drink with anything you throw on the grill and here are some of our favorite pairings!
Jessica's Picks
Handpicked Regional Selections 2016 Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia $22.99
This is a rich and full-bodied Shiraz with flavors of ripe forest fruits and baking spices balanced with toasty oak and supple tannin. Enjoy with barbecued lamb.
Big Table Farm 2020 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $46.99
Warmed cherry turnover, fig preserves and cigar tobacco float in the air. After a moment of reflection, the first sip reveals chai spice, wild elderberry, dark plum, and sassafras. Balanced and bold, with expressions of quince paste, huckleberry, dark chocolate and a hint of bourbon-maple syrup carries you through to a velvety, lingering finish. Great for anything you are throwing on the smoker!
Ojai Vineyard 2018 Syrah, Santa Barbara County $24.99
The varietal fragrance is striking and pungent—the nose provides a complex profile of incense, suede leather, balsamic and violets. The palate is suave and easy, with front-loaded fruit that glides into savory notes of olive and a thread of peppery spice on the finish. Throwing a Tri-tip on the grill? Open this bad boy!
Villa San Juliette 2018 Zinfandel, Paso Robles $15.99
Aromas, of cranberry sauce to black peppercorn and dried clove. Its palate is dark and rich with blueberry tart and notes that swirl into strawberry and licorice depths. Freshly-rolled cigar and oregano come in at a finish that is braced by dusty tannins. Salt and pepper grilled steak
French Wines
N.V. Chateau de Miniere Bulles de Miniere Sparkling Cabernet Franc, Loire Valley $21.99
This dry, sparkling red wine can really through people for a loop. Dark red wine made from Cabernet Franc that drinks like still red, but it has bubbles. You want to chill it as you would any sparkling. I love this wine with pizza, cured meats, duck, dim sum and even grilled sausages. So much fun as it gives you the impression of red wine but with the refreshment of cold sparkling.
N.V. Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Amabile, Italy $14.99
Lambrusco does not get as much respect, as a food friendly wine as it should, though the younger generation seems to be embracing it as they have not been scarred by commercial bulk wine. like Riunite. I always reach for "Amabile", a slightly fruitier style Lambrusco, when I am looking to pair lots of different foods, please a bunch of palates, soothe the sting of spicy foods or when I just want to have a wonderful chilled and fruity red to devour. Sparkling, red, fruity and so damn easy to love.
2019 Xavier Reverchon Trousseau, Jura France $32.99
Only 67 cases made of this graceful, light bodied red. The color is just a touch darker than some of the Roses we carry, the aromas are delicate, fresh, floral, and joyful. Crunchy and vibrant on the palate with red fruits and more floral coming through.Is so nice with a little chill, a plate of cheeses, meats, mushrooms, even pizza would be made better with a generous glass of this gentle, rare, and welcoming wine.
2020 Domaine La Roubine Gigondas, France $36.99
Winery owner, and winemaker, Eric Ughetto is a former fireman from Paris that moved to the Rhone Valley with his wife Sophie to take over his family’s vineyards. They have worked side by side at the domaine, even bringing their son Simon in to get him ready to take over when it is time, and Eric has since become the mayor of Gigondas. Absolutely committed to healthy vines, soils and ultimately, us, they never use commercial fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Real deal farmers giving back to the land that feeds them as it were. This Gigondas, made from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault, is jammed packed with luscious and dark fruit. Saturated and powerful, the black fruits, dried herbs, stony notes and gorgeous florals spill across the palate and practically stain your mouth with luscious fruit and just a bit of vanilla. Big wine but still polished and traditional. Bravo.
2019 Chateau Serilhan Saint-Estephe, France $23.99
This sleeper of a Bordeaux won a spot in the top 5 Saint-Estephe at En Primeur from both Vinous and The Wine Advocate. Pretty amazing at this price right? Inky dark fruit, anise, cedar and ripe raspberries on the nicely saturated palate. Ample weight with a long and juicy finish. Bring on the meats and savor this gorgeous Bordeaux.
2017 Sebastien Blachon Nom De Bleu Syrah, France $24.99
Young Sebastien Blachon established his winery in 2013 and has hit the ground running with his gorgeous Syrahs. Blachon is self-taught and farms 5 terraced hectares in the prized terroirs of the Saint Joseph appellation in the northern Rhone Valley. This is northern Rhone without question. Savory, blue fruits, cracked pepper and black olives. Not your inky or super extracted style of Syrah, this is a restrained and leaner wine but one packed with succulent cool climate Syrah flavor.
2021 Chateau Saint Pierre Cotes De Provence, France $16.99
Don’t you just love a Saint Tropez shaped bottle? That sexy curve that looks like a corseted waist. Love it. Love it even more when the wine inside is equally as compelling, like this Chateau Saint Pierre is. Made with Cinsault and Grenache, this wine comes off quite tropical. Notes of apricot and guava right upfront with candied orange peel and lemon zest on the finish. Almost too easy to drink. You might want to grab two just in case!
Natural Wines
2020 Dominio de Punctum 20,000 Leguas Amber Wine, Castilla, La Mancha, Spain $17.99
This combination of Chardonnay, Viura and Viognier spends 8 weeks on the lees, hence the pretty color. Prickly pear and nectarine bring a welcoming richness to the wine. Soft notes of peach skin bring texture and serves as the tannic structure that creates layers in the taste profile. The nectarine fruit from before comes
*2019 Irene Rodnick Farm Syrah, Monterey County $19.99
The grapes go through whole cluster fermentation which gives the wine a wonderful mouthfeel. White pepper and black olive characteristics up front let you know this is a wine with a savory profile. Delicate notes of rose petals and hints of blueberries serve as a palate cleanser before more earthy and olive flavors come back on the finish.
2021 Delinquente wine Co. Roko il Vagabondo, Barmera South Australia $19.99
Grapes coming from the Bassham Family Organic vineyards, they were picked two separate days and were fermented separately before being blended at bottling. This super easy drinking wine has rich notes of blueberries, red plums and candied plums. And if you like the artwork, check out Jason Koen’s other work.
2020 Menina d’Uva Vinho Tinto, Palomba, Portugal $25.99
Aline Dominguez has put a few native grapes into this wine, but it is predominately Negreda, about 90%. This is a chillable, crunchy natural wine. Light in body with bright minerality, notes of plums, black berries and cherries bring some richness. More minerality on the finish allows for the dark fruit notes to linger.
Kevin's Picks
*2019 Mary Taylor-Filipe Ferreira Douro Tinto, Portugal $15.99
The freshness and depth of this medium bodied Douro red is what makes it so appealing. Black and red plum fruit, florals. supple tannins, hints of earth and great minerality. Made from local varieties, Touriga Nacional, Touriga France and Tinta Roriz with average vine ages of 50-80 years and all aging is done in stainless steel so this wonderfully deep red retains its freshness and lift. This is quite a lot of wine for the price. Nice for BBQ!
*2017 Compania de Viños Telmo Rodriguez Tinto de Toro 'Gago', Toro Spain $20.99
Tempranillo from Toro or ‘Tinto de Toro’ is bolder and more concentrated than the tempranillo wines from the cooler Rioja region. Gago is polished and extremely well balanced with great intensity and depth, without going overripe, too big or oaky. A beautiful expression of Toro from one of Spain’s great winemakers, Telmo Rodriguez. Pair with wine with grilled meats.
2017 Tombacco Biferno Rosso Riserva, Molise Italy $24.99
Biferno is a small wine region in the Molise province of central Italy, named for the Biferno river that runs through it. This Riserva blend of 80% Montepulciano and 20% Aglianico is dense with plum and black cherry fruits with notes of baking spice and earth. It’s smooth and rich and screams for some grilled meats or ripe cheese.
2016 Miloš Plavac Mali, Peljesac Croatia $22.99
Plavac Mali is Croatia’s most widely planted red grape and arguable their most popular wine. A cousin of California Zinfandel, Plavac wines are robust and rich with deep dark fruit flavors and notes of herbs and spice. Franos Miloš is one of the most respected growers of Plavac Mali and only produces Plavac Mali wines from his own vines on the Pelješac Peninsula that are within close proximity to the sea which gives the wines with what Croatians call Friškina or “scent of the sea.” This bold wine is made for rich grilled meats.