Best Wine for Your Next BBQ

Summer is still heating up, which means there is plenty of time to fire up that grill! Check out this selection of the best wine for BBQ.

We've reached the mid-way point in our summer break, and Portland is experiencing a crazy heat wave this week! How is the weather this summer where you live?

We rarely have temperatures above 100 degrees Farenheit here in the Rose City, and this week we're supposed to reach temperatures over 100 degrees at least three days in a row. So crazy!

I'm no Meteorologist – although I did fill in for the Meteorologist at the news station where I started my journalism career from time to time – but I'm fairly certain that we're going to be seeing summer weather for a while... AND I LOVE IT!!

That means there is PLENTY of time to fire up that grill. The wines I'm sharing with you today are wines that I have personally tried at our own BBQs.

Best wine for BBQ

When you're hosting a BBQ, it's a good idea to have a variety of beverages available. If you're focused on serving wine, it's easy to pigeon-hole yourself into thinking that you should just serve rich red wines. While those have their place at your BBQ, you can serve several different types of wines to go with your entire menu.

Here are my picks for top wines to serve at your next BBQ!

1. Sparkling Wine

Many event planners will tell you that one easy way to kick off any event in style is to offer guests a bottle of bubbly as they walk in. I wholeheartedly agree with this! And a casual BBQ is no different.

Sparkling wine is an excellent BBQ starter during summer months. It's a refreshing way to kick off a BBQ, and sparkling wines tend to go very well with light summer appetizers like shrimp canapés.

My 2017 BBQ sparkling wine picks: keep it casual and funky with canned bubbly. Bollicini Sparkling Wines ($12/4-pack) are available in Sparkling Cuvee (blue cans) and Sparkling Rosé (pink cans). Or try a bottle of the Gratien & Meyer Brut Rosé ($15).

2. 2016 Maryhill Albarino ($20)

If you've never had an Albariño wine before, summer is the best time to try! With bright pear and apple flavors, Albariños are so delightful and just MADE for seafood. So whether you are serving seared scallops or grilled crab cakes (recipe coming soon!), this Spanish wine absolutely sings during summer BBQs. Try the 2016 Maryhill Proprietor's Reserve Albariño. We actually enjoyed it recently sitting on our friend's deck on a hot summer day enjoying freshly picked summer fruit. So good!

3. Walnut City Pinot Gris

Also in the pear and apple fruity flavors realm is the 2016 Walnut City Pinot Gris. We enjoyed this bright, fresh, and food-friendly Pinot Gris during our recent family trip to Sunriver, grilling foil-packet lemon garlic salmon (recipe coming soon!) under the gorgeous Central Oregon night sky.

4. 2016 Erath Rosé of Pinot Noir

Erath Winery is the first Oregon winery that my husband and I really fell in love with. Their 2016 Rosé of Pinot Noir is a light, crisp rosé with the sweet strawberry and nectarine flavors of summer. This is awesome with a fruit salad or some strawberry basil crostini.

5.  2016 King Estate Mountain Blocks Rosé ($40)

Along with sparkling wine, I find that most rosé wines pair well with BBQ dishes. The 2016 King Estate Rosé is floral and fruity, and easily can be served from the start of any BBQ to the finish. It would pair beautifully with fresh fruit kebabs and caprése bites, as well as it would with main BBQ dishes and desserts.

6. 2016 Ponzi Winery Rosé

I love this Oregon Rosé. The 2016 Ponzi Wines Pinot Noir Rosé opens with a a light floral and vanilla nose and then hits you with a zingy, bright blood orange and strawberry flavor. With minimal residual sugar, it’s a clean, dry rosé that would go well with a big bold bowl of paella or a cheese & charcuterie platter, as we recently enjoyed it.

7. 2014 Ledger David Cabernet Franc ($29)

The 2014 Ledger David Cabernet Franc (pictured below, left) is a sophisticated bold red wine. A nicely balanced medium-bodied wine with rich blackberry and cherry fruit flavors, this is an excellent wine to serve at any BBQ. Whether you are grilling chicken, pork, steak, or lamb, the acidity of this Cabernet Franc will help bring out the smoky BBQ flavors beautifully.

8. Walnut City Pinot Noir ($18)

Oregon Pinot Noirs are usually an excellent bet for BBQs, and I love the diversity in the intensities of Pinot Noirs we've been seeing over the past few years in this gorgeous wine country of ours. The 2016 Walnut City Pinot Noir (pictured above, right) is a bit richer than what you may have come to expect from lighter pinot noirs, and is loaded with beautiful summer blackberry and strawberry flavors. It's an excellent wine to serve with BBQ chicken or pork.

 9. 2015 Bells Up Winery Firebird Syrah ($36)

The 2015 Bells Up Winery Firebird Syrah ($36) is a complex, full-bodied red wine that shines with elegance and has a wink of sass to it in the finish. I love this wine from the boutique Newberg, Oregon winery. Its dark fruit flavors would pair well with a beautiful charcuterie board at your next BBQ, as well as with grilled chicken or even grilled lamb.

10. Pertinance Barbera d'Alba ($15)

Barbera is a classic BBQ wine, and this Pertinace Barbera d'Alba ($15) is an ideal red wine for your next BBQ. The blackberry and black cherry fruit flavors leads to a long, lingering finish. It pairs well with a variety of grilled meats, such as Grilled Steak with Basil Cilantro Almond Pesto,  to a charcuterie & cheese platter.

What are your favorite dishes to serve at your summer BBQs?

Disclosure: Wines featured in this post were either purchased by me, shared by friends, or sent to me as media samples. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.