It’s time to get grillin’

After last time’s “Refreshing Wine Choices for Warmer Weather” it occurred to me that most of you have already reacted to our non-winter and have uncovered, cleaned and fired up that wonderful extension of your kitchen we enjoy so much out here, the outdoor grill. In fact, you may be among those who never stop grilling throughout the year. More power to you!

I don’t go in for much formality in terms of choosing wines for outdoor grilling — or any other wine and food pairing for that matter. It generally comes down to the following equation: what I want to eat + what I want to drink = good times. But I do think that there are some wines that do better with the various foods from the grill, giving you a better shot at success.

I am going to focus on red wines here, but white wines can be good summertime grilling accompaniments, especially when the weather gets really hot or the food gets really spicy. I am also focusing on grilling meats here, although it does occur that a similar column could be written on wines for the vegetarian grill.

I find that grilled meats, like steak, pork or chicken, with relatively mild marinades or rubs, can work with a wide range of red wines, so go with what you like to drink. Bigger Pinot Noirs, some Merlots and Cabernets can be good choices here.  Hamburgers work with just about any red wine, though Zinfandel tends to be my first choice. However, anything that you’ve coated in a barbecue sauce, with its smoky, spicy, and typically sweet flavors, can pose more of a challenge for wine. For these dishes, I like to stick with a bold, young, spicy red wine with good acidity like a Zinfandel or a Red Rhone Blend. I try to stay away from older or particularly subtle reds, their nuances will be lost on some of these heavier dishes.

So, here are some specific suggestions for wines I like for grilling season.

Zinfandel: This is a common “go-to” category for me in the summer. A wide range of styles make up this category from big bruisers to really delicious and balanced reds.

• Cline Cellars Sonoma 2012
• Ravenswood Zinfandel Lodi Old Vines 2012
• St. Francis Winery Zinfandel Sonoma County Old Vines 2012

Red blends: This is a broad category of blended varietal wines from both the Rhone spectrum (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre) as well as other more common varieties (Cabernet, Zinfandel, Merlot). I like these wines, because they are very expressive in terms of fruit and have great structure and nice balance.

• Anaba Wines Turbine Red Blend Sonoma Valley 2012
• Pangloss Cellars Tenacity Red Blend Sonoma County 2012
• Three Wine Company Field Blend Contra Costa County 2012

Pinot Noir: Pinot is a natural for outdoor grilling. It has the depth of flavor and structure to stand up to the myriad range of flavors and it’s also not too heavy, so it does well as a wine to sip before you sit down to dinner.

• Pangloss Cellars Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2012
• R2 Wine Co. Black Pine Pinot Noir 2012
• Schug Carneros Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2013

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot: These can be great choices and the range of styles and options is far too broad to cover here. A few of my favorites:

• Benziger Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2011
• Gundlach Bundschu Mountain Cuvee Sonoma County 2012
• St. Francis Winery Merlot Sonoma Valley 2012

Rose:  I am including this here because Rose is really a crossover wine that belongs both in the red and white wine world. The best of these combine great fruit and sturdy acidity to make a wine that has surprising structure and interest. Truthfully, I love the color of the wines as much as the wines themselves. It puts me in a better, more festive mood and they really make a meal feel like summertime!

• Gundlach Bundschu Rhinefarm Rose, Sonoma Coast 2014
• Bryter Estates Pinot Noir Rosé “Jubilee” 2013
• R2 Wine Company Hannah Rose Rosé 2013

As always, you can email me with questions or comments at [email protected].

Gregory S. Walter has been a Sonoma resident for nearly 20 years. Greg has been in wine and food publishing for nearly 30 years, 15 of which were spent as a senior editor and later president of Wine Spectator magazine. Today he writes the PinotReport newsletter www.pinotreport.com and publishes books through his Carneros Press imprint www.carnerospress.com