Which wines should you pair with grilled meat? It’s a common question when a friend invites you to their BBQ and you decide bring a bottle of wine. But, in order to answer this question, we must first distinguish the various types of grilled meat. Here are our tips for a perfect wine-grilled pairing:
Wine and red meat
Beef ribs (on or off the bone), fillets, sirloins and the famous Tuscan Fiorentina – a must for any self-respecting BBQ – where a 1-1.5 kg and 5-6 cm thick cut of T-bone gives the most succulent goodness! This cut of veal loin or fine heifer should be grilled on lively embers and seasoned only with salt and extra virgin olive oil. We suggest tasting these delicacies with a glass of red, choosing between an excellent Chianti or a Brunello di Montalcino.
The hints of red fruit and that typical spicy appeal of the Chianti DOCG Leonardo da Vinci go wonderfully with grilled red meats. Excellent, too, is the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG San Giovanni Battista with its intense aroma of black fruits, and its tannic, warm, robust taste.
Wine and white meat
The ever-valid recommendation for this combination is: “lighter meat, lighter wine”. Barbecued chicken has its own flavor, enhanced by its crunchy and ultra-tasty skin, with the help of sauces and condiments. Just think of chicken wings! The same goes for turkey, with its delicate and coarser meat. These white meats are excellent in combination with our Vermentino Toscana IGT from the Leonardo da Vinci line: ample, fragrant and balanced floral aromas anticipate a savory and very fresh glass.
Wine and pork
Pork chops, steaks, spare ribs, pulled pork, sausages: tasty and rather fatty, pork is an absolute must for a BBQ. With grilled pork, there is nothing better than a red wine like the Rocca di Cesena Sangiovese Superiore Riserva Romagna DOC.
Wine and lamb
With lamb, the grilled meat takes on a more intense and spicier flavor; just think of the typical Abruzzo arrosticini. Grilled lamb meat is often enhanced with the addition of herb and condiments, and for this reason we recommend a powerful and intense wine in combination: S.to Ippolito Toscana IGT from the Villa Da Vinci line. This Tuscan red wine has an imposing structure, with evident balsamicity combined with notes of blackberry jam.
Wine and burgers
Hamburgers are a staple at a cook-out, and the first tip is to consider red wines. The meat of the burgers has a different density than that of a steak: it is a soft and less compact, therefore pairing best with a wine that is not too incisive. The secret of a good burger-wine pairing is not to overpower the flavor of the meat. With a classic beef burger, for example, we suggest a combination with a glass of Syrah, such as our Linarius Syrah Toscana IGT. In this wine, the best Syrah grapes, grown in the vineyards of the property surrounding Villa da Vinci, reach maximum varietal expression with the fragrance, intensity and spiciness of their pulpy, purplish, fruit.
