PAIRING WINES WITH TEXAS BBQ
Texas is well known for its outstanding BBQ traditions and is now making a name for itself in the Wine Industry as well. In the past, most people thought only beer goes with BBQ. Wine seems to be on the rise pairing mostly red wines with BBQ. What should you consider to pair your well smoked BBQ brisket or your “fall off the bone” ribs? That smoky BBQ has an earthy sense and would pair well with an earthy wine, particularly one that has a pepper feel on the mouth. For instance Messina Hof produces a blend of grapes from vines normally associated from Italy like Sagrantino, Primitivo, and Sangiovese to make a Bonariggo Family Heritage Reserve. This wine has earth tones, spice, and a tinge of blackberry to compliment your smoked brisket and just enough tannins to melt away the meat’s fats. In addition, Messina Hof has Zinfandel and Primitivo to provide a pepperiness to add to your meat smoky flavors. The Zinfandel and Primitivo are genetically related and have similar characteristics. Becker Vineyards also produces an earthy Zinfandel to pair with your ribs. Llano Estacado Winery produces a peppery Zinfandel to pair with a variety of your smoked meats. Texas Hills Vineyards produces a spicy Syrah to match with y our BBQ. You will need to plan ahead since these wines are not normally found in the grocery stores or wine shops. Plan to order these wine directly from the winery to make your meal special. These red Texas Wines can provide a great opportunity to put Texas first in your meals.
Most Texans take their BBQ without sauces splashed on the meat. However, there are others who look for a honey-based spicy sauce to dabble over their BBQ. If you are one of those people, you should try a red Tempranillo from a variety of Texas Wineries and grocery stores. I have been impressed by HEB Grocery Stores in making Texas wines so easily available. While other stores like SPEC’s are having difficulty in getting Texas wines. HEB seems to be leading the way in having Texas wines ready for you to purchase. I guess they get the axiom that local wines pair best with local foods.
If you like your BBQ doused heavily with a sweet, spicy sauce, let’s switch directions to pair a white wine with a little sweetness like Riesling from Messina Hof. If you want something with some attitude to pair with your sauced BBQ, try Gewürztraminer Tribute from Messina Hof Winery. Their semi-sweet Gewürztraminer has spice, attitude, and would pair wonderfully with that sweet BBQ sauce you like or even with that spicy smoked sausage. It amazes me at the diversity of the wines from Messina Hof with 95 different wine labels to choose from
There are several choices to choose Texas wines to pair with your Texas BBQ with or without BBQ sauce. I believe you will agree that Texas wines do pair better with Texas BBQ vs. beer.