Sizzling wines to pair with your BBQ

Trumpeter Malbec red wine available at the winebox

It’s the festive season again! For many of us, that means getting together with family and friends and enjoying nyama choma. But it can be tricky best wine for bbq with those char-grilled notes and other strong flavours. So we’ve put together a guide to the best wines to enjoy with your BBQ.

Below are some of the best wine for BBQ

Malbec Wines

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: malbec is the best wine for BBQ food. Its robust dark fruit flavours and tannins complement red meats in particular. In fact, it will pair with almost any strongly flavoured meat including home-made burgers, game and charcuterie. For example, Trumpeter Reserve Malbec‘s cherry and mint notes make it a fantastic wine to complement spit-roasted fatty meats such as lamb.

Rioja Wines

Rioja is famously wonderful with lamb and is one of the best wine for BBQ, so if you know your host is cooking lamb then this is your go-to wine. However, its savoury flavours also complement merguez, pork and chicken so it can give you some options too. Cune Gran Reserva Rioja‘s rich, spicy dark fruit notes and well-integrated tannins are a perfect match for barbecued meats.

Rosé Wines

Rosé wines, especially dry rosés, are always a great option to take along to a barbecue because they’re so versatile. Great to pair with sausages, grilled poultry or fish, they’ll work equally well with vegetarian food. Try a French rosé such as Gérard Bertrand’s Cote des Roses Rosé alongside pork chops, sausages or grilled fish.

Gewürztraminer Wines

If your host is known for spicing up the meat, then a gewürz is definitely a good option. The slight sweetness of this aromatic wine acts as a foil to the spice and its moderate acidity cuts through the fat. Check out Undurraga Gewurztraminer for its lychee aromas and touch of spice to really complement spicy food.

A last note…

Above are the best wine for bbq are very well suited to roasted, charred and grilled foods. But what should you avoid? Your palate won’t appreciate a more heavily oaked wine or anything bone-dry with char-grilled food. And a little sweetness or fruitiness will help if the food is spicy, but too sweet will be cloying.