Wine Pairing with BBQs

Wine Pairing with BBQs

Who doesn’t love a barbeque. Great for a crowd. Just as good for a mid week family dinner. The smoky taste of grilled meats and vegetables calls for the right wine to bring it all together. A crisp white can cut through the richness, while a textured red complements the char. Whether you’re grilling steak, lamb, chicken, or veggies, there’s a wine for every barbecue.

Is there a wine that suits all barbeque flavours? What is the best way to serve reds during the hot summer? We’re here to help answer those questions below.

Along with giving you recipe ideas for your next barbecue, we’ll explain why certain wines pair well with specific dishes. While there’s no absolute right or wrong in wine pairing, chemistry does play a part. The flavours in the food and wine interact in ways that can either enhance or dull each other. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of what works and why.

bottle of subrosa viognier lying on the granite rocks in the grampians wine region
steak cooking on a bbq to pair with subrosa wines
  • 1

    Steak:
    Grilled T-Bone with Chimichurri Sauce – The fresh parsley and tangy vinegar in the Chimichurri balance the spicy dark fruit and elegant tannins of our cool climate Malakoff Estate Pyrenees Shiraz. Chimichurri, the Argentinian sauce, goes with any steak cut and also amazing with grilled prawns! This recipe, by Taste, is quick and easy.

    Grilled Steak – Scotch fillet steaks are our preferred cut and we both like it cooked medium rare. We’re fortunate to have an amazing butcher in our local area, the Pyrenees Premium Cuts. Family owned just like us. Love their sausages for the kids too. A simple salad a jacket potato, a glass of SubRosa 2019 Grampians Pyrenees Shiraz and dinner is done.

    Simple Steak Tacos – Living in California exposed us to plenty of Mexican cuisine. One thing we learnt is to keep tacos simple. We tend to overload them in Australia, putting layer upon layer of topping. Try this instead – on a soft flour or corn tortilla place your grilled steak (sirloin is a good cut for these), then a sprinkling of red onion, chopped coriander, squeeze of lime and a light dusting of Mexican cotija cheese if you can find it. Crumbled feta is a decent alternative but it is a bit overpowering, so go light. For a wine pairing, these are delicious with our SubRosa Viognier.

  • 2

    Lamb:
    – Grilled Lamb Chops with Mint Pesto – The classic mint and lamb pairing is hard to beat. With mint on the mind, how about switching up the classic basil pesto with a fresh mint pesto. Here’s an easy recipe to try out from Simply Recipes. Pair it with our SubRosa Rosé. You’ll find the crisp, fruity notes of the wine will enhance the lamb’s rich flavours.

    Moroccan Spiced Lamb Cutlets – Where better to learn about lamb than the Australian Lamb website. This recipe for Moroccan spiced lamb cutlets caught my eye. The spice of the lamb will complement the pepper spice of any of our cool climate Shiraz’s. May I recommend it alongside a glass of our 2021 Grampians Shiraz. The dark berries, plums and undertones of earthiness are a good match to the spiced lamb.

    Grilled Lamb Chops – It’s midweek, you’re rushing around getting things done and need a quick meal for dinner. Sound familiar? Lamb chops are popular for exactly this reason. Here’s a tip for grilling – pat the chops dry and season liberally with salt (and pepper unless the kids don’t like it), let them reach room temperature (around 20 mins), heat up the grill, brush the grill plate with oil, cook chops for 2 to 3 minutes per side until they are done to your preference. And final step, let them rest off the heat for 5 -10 minutes. Finely chop a handful of parsley, mix in the zest of half a lemon and just like that, you have a quick parsley gremolata to serve on top of the lamb. For the wine pairing, go with the SubRosa Viognier. The wine’s rich, floral aromatics and stone fruit flavours complement the gamey notes of the lamb.

  • 3

    Pork:
    Pork Chops with Char Sui Spice – This ones doesn’t need a recipe…simply rub the char sui spice (available at most Asian stores and some butchers), on the pork chops an hour before grilling. Overnight if you can. Bring them to room temperature then grill for your desired length. Let sit for 5 mins. As a traditional and well tested combination, serve with an apple sauce on the side. Our SubRosa Nebbiolo is fab with this. The dry, savouriness of the Neb complements the rich, sweetness of the pork.

    Pork Sausages with Caramelised Onions – Sausages taste so much better when done on the BBQ. Our local butcher, Pyrenees Premium Cuts have a selection of amazing hand made sausages, including a traditional Pork. Who doesn’t like soft, caramelised onions as a side, especially on a slice of bread. I don’t like adding sugar to the onions. Instead I prefer to let the onions develop their own sweetness but this takes time. You’ll likely need about 45 mins to get them right. Start the temp low so they don’t burn. Here’s a good step by step for caramelised onions without using sugar, by Eat like an Adult. For the wine, the savoury, sweet sausage combination is the perfect match with the dark fruit flavours and peppery finish of our cool climate SubRosa Shiraz – either vintage. .

  • 4

    Chicken:
    Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken – Lime flavours zing when paired with our aromatic, tropical Viognier. When I look at my ingredients on hand and need some inspiration for using them up, I often click on Recipetineats. This lime marinated grilled chicken recipe didn’t disappoint. Her hot tip is to use the juice and the zest of the whole lime for greater depth of flavour.

    Chicken Drumsticks – Chicken can sometimes dry out on the BBQ so when I saw this recipe, where the chicken drumsticks are precooked in their BBQ sauce first, then grilled, just to give it a char, I was intrigued. The sweetness of the BBQ sauce will pair well with a bright, fruity, dry wine, like our SubRosa Grampians Rosé.

  • 5

    Fish & Seafood:
    Grilled Salmon with Chimichurri – The beauty of Chimichurri is it’s versatility. It goes just as well with Salmon as is does it’s traditional mate, Steak. And the other thing to love about it is how well it freezes. Make up a big batch then freeze the remainder as ice cubes. Check out the Steak section for the recipe. Pair this with our Grampians Viognier. It’s nice acidity and mid-palate texture, is a perfect match for the richness of Salmon.

    Fish Tacos with Coleslaw – First up a confession. I sometimes use frozen fish for tacos and even have been known to use fish fingers. It’s a good way to get the kids to enjoy them too. And I’m not alone. SBS Food is on my wavelength with their Freezer Fish Tacos. Make sure your coleslaw is only lightly dressed, otherwise it overpowers the fish flavour. And make it all taste fresh with a good squeeze of lime. No cheese too!!!! The smaller street tacos are best for these. A dry, red fruit Grampians Rosé from Shiraz is spot on with this dish.

    Prawn Tacos with Mango Salsa – Do you see a pattern here? Our family loves Mexican! For a more exotic filling throw some prawns on the barbie. They take no time to grill so keep an eye on them. Staying tropical, chop up some mango salsa to top the prawns in a small flour tortilla. Go hot with jalapeños or just leave them out if you err on the side of mild. Our SubRosa 2022 Grampians Viognier, with beautiful aromas of mango and hints of honeysuckle, ginger and sweet pepper is an absolute winner with this dish.

  • 6

    Vegetables:
    – Grilled Vegetable Skewers with Balsamic
    – When you have smoky, charred flavours, you can always be assured a bright, fruity, dry Rosé will be complementary. Red onions and red capsicum are my favourite on a skewer. The process of grilling them creates caramelisation, transforming them into a completing different flavour. It’s culinary magic. A drizzling of balsamic vinegar is an easy way to add complexity and a touch of bite. 

    Portobello Mushrooms – To cater for our vegetarian friends at a BBQ party I always add some portobello mushrooms to the hot plate. A sprinkle of herbs like rosemary and lemon thyme once done adds a layer of flavour to this simple dish. Serve them with a glass of SubRosa Nebbiolo, and you’ll enhance the earthiness found in both the wine and the mushrooms.

    Grilled Asparagus – You either like them or hate them. Adam is on the dislike side. I love them, especially when in season and grilled. Our Grampians Viognier, with its rich stone fruit notes and heady aromas of mango and apricot, stands up well to the distinctive green vegetable flavours in the asparagus.

Got a recipe selected out? Let us help you with the wine selection.

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