Wine press: 5 wine tips for outdoor grilling

In less than a month it’s the end of summer. (This is the part where I duck to avoid being hit by flying objects.)

I know this is a rough time of year, especially in New England for those of you who don’t long for cold, snowy winter days.

But now and in the coming months is also an ideal time for outdoor barbecues.

Many of you are probably wondering: Grilling after Labor Day weekend? Seriously?

But listen to me.

Or consider these two scenarios.

The first: You’re standing outside in the blazing sun in shorts and a T-shirt, eating a burger with sweaty, sunscreen-smeared fingers.

The second – you wear a flannel shirt, relax in the shade by the campfire and comfortably eat a warm, juicy burger.

I know which door I would choose, Bob Barker.

For this reason, I believe the next few months (basically now through the end of October) are the best grilling season in New England.

With that in mind, and with another big barbecue weekend coming up this weekend, here are five suggestions for handling wine at your outdoor barbecue.

I hope you like it.

Designated area

If you’re hosting a big barbecue, you’ll probably have a lot of things to do — frying burgers or smoking food, making a salad, or searching for more plates and napkins. Make life easier when it comes to the wine by putting everything in one place. This will also help you see if you’re running low on wine or need to provide more wine. (In general, plan on half a bottle of wine for each wine-drinking guest.)

Self-service wine

Now that you have all the wines in one place, you don’t have to worry about which ones to open or refill each glass. Let guests serve themselves. This will make your life easier and will also make your guests happy as they can choose the wine they want to drink with their grilled hot dog or potato salad.

Strong red wines

If you grill anything like we do, chances are there’s a lot of meat involved, whether it’s hamburgers, pork ribs, beef brisket, or steak. Rich red wines pair well with all of these grilled dishes. And by rich red wines, I mean Argentinian Malbec, Californian red Zinfandel, and a wide range of reds from France’s Rhone region, Spain’s Rioja region, and Italy’s Tuscany.

Sparkling wine

Another fan favorite at barbecues, in my experience, is sparkling wine. These refreshing, bubbly, chilled wines go well with just about anything, whether it’s meat or pasta salad, watermelon or cake. And while there are plenty of sparkling wines to choose from, I personally prefer drier wines that have the name “brut” on the label. Champagne from France is fantastic, of course. If you want something more affordable, there are some great wines in California, too. Spanish Cava is another great option, as are many Italian Proseccos.

Be adventurous

So you have your red wine and your sparkling wine. Do you want to serve other types of wine at your barbecue? Serve whatever you want! Like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with your moussaka? Or maybe South African Chenin Blanc with salmon burgers? Try it. Take risks and have fun. I might add that California Chardonnays are also very popular. Trust me. I know it.

Cheers!

Wine press from Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and Thursday in the weekend section of the Republican.