Guro of the Goodlife™
By Dave Preston
I don’t know about you, but I spend most of my time cooking outdoors during these warm months. Barbecue is one of the easiest ways to add flavor to foods with very little effort.
It all started when Columbus first visited American shores and encountered the Arawak Indians (who weren’t really Indian), and was amazed to find them doing two strange things with fire. First, they stuck lighted cylinders of rolled, dried leaves in their mouths, inhaling the smoke. Second, they put chunks of raw meat on a rack of wooden sticks over hot coals and left the meat to roast ever so slowly until it became smoky and delicious.
The first practice didn’t turn out to be all that good an idea, although it was literally addictive. But the second concept has yielded one of nature’s most noble foods. The Arawaks called it "barbacoa." We call it "barbecue," and it’s mighty addictive.
I'm not sure that history records what the Arawaks drank with their specialty, but within a century or two, after American settlers from Europe enthusiastically adopted the new cooking style, the standard beverages were generally sweet iced tea or ice-cold beer in long-neck bottles.
Wine has always had an “image” of elegance, and isn't often thought of as a partner for such outdoorsy fare. I’m here to dispel that idea and tell you that wine is my preferred beverage at a barbecue. Just about any red wine will do with smoked meat. Zinfandel has its partisans because of its stature as an "American" wine.
Zinfandel is an "American Classic" and was even originally thought to be made of native Californian grapes. Research has now shown that the Zinfandel grape originated in Italy, and some DNA research revealed an origin in Rumania, but this wine is now primarily grown in California. Zinfandel grows its best in cool, coastal locations.
The color of a zinfandel wine is deep red, bordering on black. Zinfandel is a spicy, peppery wine, with a hint of fruity flavor - berries or dark cherries are often the taste range. Besides barbecue, Zinfandel goes well with "typical American" food - pizza, burgers, etc. It's hearty enough to match up with thick red sauces too.
Red Zinfandel should be served at around 65 degrees, which is not room temperature nor fridge temperature. It's somewhere in the middle. It tastes best in a narrow-mouthed glass. Most people like to drink Zinfandels young - within a year or two - but there are also quite a few Zinfandels that age well. Note that the flavor becomes much different, far more mellow. It's completely up to you if you favor the taste of a young Zin over an old!
Rosé wine – very fruit forward with a dry, light and crisp finish - has its fanciers, too, for its refreshing, quenching nature. This is a great “red” wine that can be served chilled. Just because it’s light pink doesn’t mean it’s sweet. Rose of Cabernet, Malbec, and Syrah are awesome! Redskinned grapes are crushed and the skins are allowed to remain in contact with the juice for a short period, typically two or three days. The grapes are then pressed, and the skins are discarded rather than left in contact throughout fermentation (as with red wine making).
You can also find fair-priced red wines from France's Rhône Valley, though, which often show an intriguing "smoked meat" aroma that makes a natural partner with the real thing. Those Rhone-style "grilled meat" characteristics make it a natural with barbecued meat, and with a less conventional match, a Spanish tortilla with potatoes, onions, garlic and ham. Also serve this red wine at about 65 degrees.
Characteristics of the Rhone varietals are dark garnet with reddish-violet glints. A good complex Rhone aroma profile is red-berry fruit backed by touches of grilled meat and earth; raspberries and maybe a hint of blueberries on the palate with attention-getting acidity providing food-friendly structure, and soft tannins in the background. Quite a mouthful of Rhone red has excellent structure and balance. It may be ready now, but it's capable of being held under good cellar conditions for two or three more years.
It’s easy to find any of these wines under $25, and my thought to you, buy one of each and see which one you think goes best with your next backyard barbecue. Carpe diem and make it a point to go out and live the goodlife!
(Dave Preston is a radio and television personality who has been writing about food and wine for more than 30 years.)