Three Red Wines to Drink with your Barbecue

Rich Red Wines for National Barbecue Week:

Unbelievably, just as Summer decides to disappear, National Barbecue Week is upon us.  I’ve been tasting a few red wines with a view to finding the perfect drink for your barbeque.  And, whilst I’m not actually planning on trying to light mine at the moment (it’s pouring with rain in London today), I’ve still got a few tips.

First of all, it goes without saying that this probably isn’t the right occasion to open your vintage Margaux or Pomerol.  The smokey taste of barbeque food really needs a wine that has a bit of a punch and in hot weather, red wines tend to lose their aroma so the finesse of a vintage wine might just get lost. If you are a red wine drinker, look out for something robust and fruity which will help to balance the flavour of the smoke and any spice in the marinade.

The classic barbeque wine for me is a rich, fruity Malbec like the ones I’ve tried at Gaucho.  But, I’ve been sampling different reds this time and been pleasantly surprised.

My first recommendation is Cune Rioja Crianza, 2012 – which is available at £8.99 a bottle from Majestic.  Cune won the best Spanish Winery award in 2015 with the IWSC and this Rioja is deliciously jammy and fruity with notes of vanilla.  A blend of Grenache and Tempranillo it would be perfect for a warm Summer’s evening to drink along with red peppers, spicy burgers or even sausages.

Hancock & Hancock Shiraz Grenache 2014, McLaren Vale (RRP £14.05) is a peppery, cherry and dark fruit shiraz and grenache blend.  It’s the sort of wine which you could happily drink alongside a lamb tagine if the weather is inclement.  But, if you are indulging in steak on your grill, for my money this would be the perfect red to pair with it.  It is 14% vol, so quite high in alcohol content and should stand up well to a warm summer’s day.

Finally, Aldi The Exquisite Collection Minarete Ribera del Duero, Spain, a Tempranillo  which retails at under £6 from Aldi.  It’s a really fruity red wine with damson, loganberry and black cherry flavour yet with a freshness that I think would be fabulous for a warm summer’s evening drink.

What do you drink with your barbeque?  I’ll be moving on in the next post of this series to cover some Rose wines I think would be perfect…

Disclosure:  The wines covered in this feature were sent to me for review.  All content is editorially given.