It’s the Fourth of July–time to get the BBQ pits going!
There’s nothing like a smoked brisket in Texas. This leads to the question-what wines go with BBQ?
Texas BBQ is typically dry and smokey, as compared to other BBQ’s like the Carolina’s or Kansas City. Because of that, you could serve bolder reds with Texas BBQ, such as cabernet sauvignon, malbec, tempranillo or GSM.
But with sausage, you would want to serve sangiovese.
But maybe you’re serving pork ribs or pulled pork, then you might want to pull out roussanne, rose’, or chardonnay.
What if you are serving all of the above? What do you do then? And if you ask 3 or 4 sommeliers their opinion, they’ll all give you different answers.
You see where I’m going with this. What I have learned from years of serving wine with Texas BBQ is that there is not a right or wrong answer. Drink what you like and guess what? It will be the right wine for your BBQ!
So I think the better question would be–what is the correct temperature to serve my wines at my BBQ?
You always hear “serve reds at room temperature.” But room temperature in Texas is not the temperature you want to serve reds at.
I have listed below the typical guidelines for a variety of wines. Now remember, they are guidelines and not rules. If it’s 100 degrees outside, you may want your white wine a little colder. The guidelines are the temperature that you want to serve the wines to complement the foods that you are serving.
Best Temperatures for Serving Wine with BBQ
| Full-bodied and aged reds (e.g., cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel, malbec) | 55-65°F |
| Medium-bodied reds (e.g., merlot) | 55-65°F |
| Champagne and sparkling wines (high quality or more expensive Champagne or sparkling serve slightly warmer) | 38-45°F |
| Light white wine and Rose’ wines (e.g., pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, rieslings) | 45-50°F |
| Heavy whites and light reds (e.g., viogniers, chardonnay, pinot noir, Beaujolais) | 48-56°F |
| Fortified Wines (e.g., port and Madeira) | 60-65°F |
A good rule of thumb is: If the wine smells high in alcohol, it may be too warm.
If the wine lacks flavor, it may be too cold–let it warm up.
Try serving lower quality wines a bit cooler–the cooler temperature will help hide minor flaws and aromas that you typically get with a less expensive wine.
This should give you some guidelines to make you the expert this Fourth of July.
What wines will I be drinking? I picked up some wines on my weekend trip to Fredericksburg, Texas that I’m going to have with my BBQ this Fourth of July.
I typically start with Champagne, and this year, I’ll be drinking the one I brought back from Heath Sparkling Wines. Then, I’ll move onto a really nice roussanne from the French Connection in Hye Texas. To finish it off, I’ll have a cabernet sauvignon which I picked up from Foyt Winery and Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas.
Remember: the best wine is the wine you like!!
Happy Fourth of July!!!
– Vonda
