Wines to stand up to a grilling

As soon as the sun comes out, my local butcher seems to spend every spare moment creating stack after stack of burgers. It would appear that some of us at least still associate the sun with the barbecue and the barbecue with beef patties.

But nowadays the Irish barbecue has become a lot more sophisticated and the range of foods we cook has thankfully extended beyond the traditional bangers and burgers. Now, not only do we throw steaks, spare ribs and kebabs on the grill, but we are happy to include all kinds of lamb, pork, chicken, fish and vegetables, all doused in an array of marinades, sauces and rubs.

Many of us now have barbecues with lids or hoods, and therefore the possibility of roasting dinner, and possibly including wood chips of various kinds to introduce a wonderful smoky flavour.

With all of this innovation, the standard wine advice of something “big and red” is no longer sufficient to cover barbecued food.

Sure, a Malbec from Argentina, an Aussie Shiraz or southern Rhône will do very nicely with red meat, but they are all likely to swamp lighter dishes. Delicacy is not a word we associate with barbequed food, but the more subtle flavours of fish, chicken and many vegetables tend to get a bit lost when confronted with a whopping great gutsy red wine. Time to bring in a different set of wines – more elegant, food-friendly reds and white wines with a bit more oomph.

I am not generally a fan of white wines aged in new oak. Despite what the producers argue, I find the oak tends to dominate everything else. However, the smoky, charred flavours of grilled chicken and more full flavoured fish provide a perfect match.

I recently tried a full-bodied New Zealand Chardonnay with spatchcock chicken barbecued with some cherry sticks; the rich, toasty wine and the succulent smoky bird went brilliantly together.

The same holds for Australian Semillon; the more elegant Hunter Valley styles might be a bit light, but the Barossa and Clare Valleys produce some full-flavoured oaky wines cut through with lime zest that go very nicely with chicken and rich fish and shellfish.

Another option is rosé; a cross between red and white, the fruitier versions won’t be swamped by all that flavour as well as offering the refreshing acidity we crave on a hot sunny day. I find they can stand up to spicy fish and chicken dishes much better than a white wine.

Plain grilled prawns are probably best with a fresh, unoaked white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or a lighter Chardonnay.

It is also worth keeping in mind the origin of your dish. meats marinated in garlic, thyme and rosemary often go very nicely with southern French reds or Sangiovese from Italy. I find that whole grilled red peppers go really well with Tempranillo from Spain, or a riper Cabernet Sauvignon.

What if you are serving a mix of every kind of fish, fowl and beast as well as some roasted vegetables at the same time? Don’t rule out lighter reds. Despite what many articles suggest, lighter fruity reds such as unoaked Rioja, Chilean Merlot, Valpolicella and Beaujolais often work very well with big burly red meats, and also work with pork, chicken and even fish.

But my favourite choice for an all-purpose red wine would probably be a juicy Pinot Noir from either Chile or New Zealand. Served cool, they go very nicely with fish and shellfish. The ripeness of the fruit means they also go well with sweetish marinades, rubs and dips.

Keep an eye on wine temperature. White wines should be chilled not frozen and keep the reds well away from the baking sun; 20 minutes in the fridge works wonders.

However, if you still want a rip-roaring red, then why not try a wine from Uruguay?

O’Brien’s has been championing this country’s wine for a few years now, sometimes with the help of Uruguayan students who supplement their income by doing in-store tastings. Apparently they have all visited the winery, taken a Skype course in wine, and are enthusiastic ambassadors for their country.

The French grape Tannat is the Uruguayan speciality and the Atlántico Tannat at €14.99 or the Preludio Tannat at €22.99 are both excellent wines that would go nicely with barbecued beef or lamb. I also really enjoyed the full-bodied Merlot, which would make an ideal barbecue glugger.

jwilson@irishtimes.com