Everyone knows that meat and red wine are the perfect combination. But what about barbecue meat? Barbecues are distinguished by their rustic flavour, as the meat is prepared directly over the grill, with little or no seasoning. Thus, its original flavour is preserved, as well as its texture and aroma. When choosing a wine to accompany the barbecue, we must take this rustic characteristic into account.

What is the ideal harmonization?

Each cut of meat has its own flavour, texture, fat and juiciness. Therefore, the choice of wine must be in accordance with these factors below.

    • Tough and fatty meats: wines with high acidity and tannins

    • Tenderer meats not so fatty: wines with medium acidity and tannins

Seasoning can also be taken into account when choosing the wine for your barbecue.

    • Pepper: spiced wines

    • Barbecue sauce: fruity or smoked wines

    • Butters: buttery wines

Be careful when seasoning the meat, because salt and pepper reinforce the alcohol. The ideal is to choose a wine with an alcohol content of up to 13%.

If your barbecue has meat other than red, such as poultry or even fish, you can choose other wines. For example:

    • White meat such as chicken or turkey: light white, light young red wine or rosé

    • Pork: white or sour red

    • Vegetables, cheese and garlic bread: young and fruity white, rosé

And which wine should I choose for each cut?

Texture

As a rule, barbecue cuts call for medium-bodied wines. If the cut of the meat is more rigid, wines with more tannins are ideal, as mentioned above. The more structured the meat, the fuller the wine should be.

Succulence

This choice can be more complex and also depends on personal taste. In the case of very succulent meats, the wine should be full-bodied, silky and velvety, so that the flavours harmonize. However, if you prefer the flavour of the meat to predominate, you can opt for wines with less body, greater acidity and medium tannins.

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