Get Your Grill On

Here’s something I really don’t know anything about - what wine to drink with BBQ. Oh sure I know red is for meats and white is for fish, chicken and sea food but what are the nuances of wine and BBQ and grilled foods?

I’m a dyed in the wool beer drinker with Bass Ale, John Courage (which is no longer available in the United States damn it!) and Porkslap Ale being my current favorites, but every once in a while I get asked to recommend a wine to drink with the Que. I usually refer people over to the fine folks over at Wine Sediments or to my buddy Lenn and Lenndevours, but here’s a list of five of the best wines for your BBQ from the Wall Street Journal.

- Malbec from Argentina: What´s a more popular summertime food than barbecued meat? And with barbecued meat — ribs, burgers, steaks, you name it — there are few tastier wines than Malbec. It`s a red wine that tastes like ripe blackberries bursting with fruit, with some smoke and black pepper. Just a few good names to look for are Alamos (Bodega Catena Zapata), Altos Las Hormigas, Bodega Norton, Catena, Finca Flichman and Navarro Correas.

- Beaujolais: One of the many great things about Beaujolais is that it pairs with just about any kind of food. Beaujolais also can be served at all temperatures.

- Riesling: It`s light, delightful, mouth-watering and oh-so-easy to drink. Germany is the classic home of Riesling — look for Riesling Kabinett on the label and you`ll be fine — but more good Riesling is being made in the U.S., too, especially in northern states such as Michigan and New York. Riesling also is somewhat trendy at the moment, so serving this wine at your gathering will show your good taste.

- Sauvignon Blanc from Chile: It`s hard to beat the value of Chilean wine. We recently bought a case of Concha y Toro “Casillero Del Diablo” Sauvignon Blanc that cost just $6.63 a bottle (with a case discount). Among many other good names are Anakena, La Playa, Miguel Torres, Morande and Santa Rita.

- Vinho Verde: This wine from Portugal is especially good on sunny days because it`s so refreshing. Vinho Verde is almost colorless, with some spritz that adds to the fun of it. It`s a food-friendly wine, good with three-cheese pizza and seafood prepared any way. Among good names to look for are Arca Nova, Casal Garcia, Famega, Gazela and Portal do Fidalgo.