Good Morning!

This Sunday is Father’s Day and many folks will be grilling meat and I have been ask about what wine to pair with BBQ and or anything from the grill.

As always, I am going say it depends on what meat you grill, how is it prepared and what sauce is used…so here are my thoughts.

A big fat dry aged steak….Get a massive red Cabernet Sauvignon or I love a Zinfandel as well.

Making dry rubbed ribs….Syrah or Zinfandel will be a nice pairing…if you make “wet” ribs, watch the heat in the sauce or if the sauce is sweet mix things up get a Rose’ if the sauce is sweeter, the acid in the wine will counter balance the sugar and if the BBQ sauce has some spicy or hot…seriously find a Riesling.

Grilling chicken….I am loving Chenin Blanc (white) or Gigondas (Grenache) I kinda tend to be on a white wine kick this summer!

Grilling Shrimp….Find a great Rose’ let it flow!

A friend of mine is from South Africa and he invited us to a “cookout” at his place and the call outdoor grilling Broai. They grill up all kinds of meats and what makes a Broai different from our cookouts is they like to grill up unseasoned game meats, like deer, antelope and lamb as well as the stand by beef and chicken and sausage. They do not season or marinate the meat, so it is really a very true to the flavor of the natural meat. Then he served a wine was “created” by the winemakers of South Africa when they crossed a pinot noir with the cinsault vines. Pinotage if you have never tried it has a bigger and heavier mouth feel than a Pinot Noir but it has a very similar finish as the Pinot Noir, the main difference is the weight of the wine that feels heavier and the Cinsualt add a little more body and structure to this balanced wine.

I hope you will try this parings or find a bottle of Pinotage with to either share with your Dad or toast to him if he is not around. I will drink a big glass of bubbly in honor of my Dad and all my grandfathers and all the other great men of the world who are awesome Dads’ or men who are important a child no matter what their age!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi