The ultimate BBQ-wine
TheDutchreputation forfrugalityas consumers is an extension of their former reputation as hard-bargaining traders. True to this reputation, Dutch people tend to buy things out of season. I am now talking Christmas cards in January, Easter eggs in May, and sun cream in November (the first strays of sun in Holland won’t appear until May the next year). In this Dutch tradition, I purchased my Weber barbecue two years ago in December –when it was for sale for half price. I was fed up with charcoal anyway (as I do not have the patience for it) and invested in a professional gas powered machine. A piece of equipment that looks like something in between a heavy armored vehicle and a coffin…
Barbecuing with it became child play though. Steaks, satay, fish, veggies and bread; I grill everything on it, multiple days per week, summer and winter. Side advantage of my new outdoor kitchen is that there is no more fishy smells in my house and that I can now dedicate more time to the wine selection. As a result I experimented a lot last year on a quest to find the ideal barbecue wine. I tried different varieties, and wines from almost any country imaginable, from Old to New World, hey, even from remote places like Bolivia. Looking back, I can’t say there is one ultimate or ‘fits-all’ barbecue wine –how could it exist with the ever growing variation of ingredients on the grill? I mean, ten years ago, the Dutch would just put sausages, cutlets and drumsticks on the roaster; nowadays we grill crayfish, turkey, tuna, lamb, calamari, corn and courgette, apart from baguette, potatoes and pineapple. Having said that, to me there are two wine styles which get closest to all round barbecue wines, which are rosé and oaked reds.
As for the first, I like my wine as my meat: rosé. Especially the fruity styles with good concentration, from Spain and the New World. Rosé wines complement the food as their fruit intensity works well with both (shell) fish and meats and is also versatile in terms of matching with the growing variety of sauces. In addition, there are more different rosé styles available now than ever in history. Made from different varieties, from different countries and with different winemaking techniques.
As for oaked reds, I favor a recognizable toasty character in the wine to combine with my grilled food. Barrel aged styles or wines made with deep toasted staves work best, I have learned. With deer, kudu, springbok or ostrich, I prefer full bodied, oaked garnachas and monastrells from Spain, Argentinean Malbecs, Barossa Shiraz, and Cape Pinotages. For lighter barbecue fare I like German Spätburgunders, Kiwi and Casablanca Pinots and Austrian reds (both Zweigelt, Sankt Laurent and Blaufränkisch) –as long as they are oaked.
For you I have selected my two favorite Torres wines to complement the grill. It is the Torres De Casta Rosado and the Gran Coronas Reserva. And the prices for which they are on offer in Holland allow you to spend more on other things. Like more meat on the grill, even a brand new barbecue…
Well, out of season then…