“Barbeque.” Say the word and thoughts of summer come quickly. Heat, picnics, friends, family, cold drinks, laughs…these are some of the things I think of when I think of barbeque. In this melting pot that is America there are few things that are indigenous to us, but barbeque is one of them. Like apple pie and cowboys. That said, BBQ across the United States is not even remotely the same from place to place. Try telling a Texan that the best BBQ is found in South Carolina – be prepared to run for your life. Or go to Memphis and say you’ve had better ribs in St. Louis – don’t be surprised if you’re asked to kindly leave the state…for good. Depending on where you are, your barbeque may be served with sauce or without, the sauce could be sweet or tangy, there could be a dry rub or just salt and pepper and smoked for hours on end.
All hail the summer barbeque
And so, of course, the question is: what wine to choose? Well, we can’t pick just one to go with the various types of barbeque out there, but we can give you some tips. The good folks at VinePair have created a helpful chart of American regional barbeque styles and the wines that go best with them. Translated into Ponte language, here’s what we recommend for your summer BBQ’s, be they Houston or Kansas City-inspired…
The Region: Texas
The Style: Dry rubs, rarely sauced, often smoked until the meat (most likely beef) is falling off the bone
The Wine: You’ll want a full body and dark fruit, like Ponte Nebbiolo or Syrah
The Region: Kansas City
The Style: Sweet, thick molasses-based sauce
The Wine: Think sweet and bubbly like Ponte Moscato and Vernaccia Nera
Saucy pulled pork? Uncork some Vernaccia Nera
The Region: St. Louis
The Style: Sweet, thick sauce like Kansas City, but here it’s tomato-based
The Wine: With the blend of flavors going on in St. Louis style BBQ, you’ll love Ponte’s blended red, Meritage.
The Region: South Carolina
The Style: Mustard-based sauce, sweet and tangy
The Wine: For red, you’ll want something with lots of fruit and some acidity. Ponte Tempranillo would be great. If you’re a white fan, go for Pinot Grigio.
–What’s your favorite type of BBQ and what do you drink with it?
–Erica Martinez
No comments yet. You should be kind and add one!
By submitting a comment you grant Ponte Winery Blog a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.