Wine - Summertime Grilling Guide

Pairing Wine with Barbecue

By Kent Rosenblum

Outdoor grilling IS a favorite summertime activity and an opportune time to showcase some crisp white wines and fun, non-pretentious reds. This summer, try some unique and unusual combinations, as well as more traditional pairings, when barbecuing on your patio, at the beach or camping in the wilderness.

Seafood on the barbie is always an exciting lowcalorie and low-fat way to enjoy summer evenings. Oysters from Hog Island or other local purveyors make great starters. Just put them on the hot grill until the shells open, then loosen the oyster and top with a zesty sauce. This dish usually calls for a crisp Chardonnay from Carneros or Santa Barbara. Pair skewered prawns (marinated with olive oil, cilantro and salt and pepper; sprinkled with paprika and cayenne pepper and grilled with sweet purple onion and red bell pepper) with a Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River or a Pinot Gris from Oregon. Don't forget the butter leaf salad.

Hamburgers offer the greatest opportunity for grill creativity of any summertime food. Sutter Home Winery actually hosts an annual hamburger recipe contest, and some of the winners are real artistic creations. (For recipes, visit www.buildabetterburger. com.) The beauty of the burger is that you can use a variety of meats such as beef, lamb, turkey, ostrich or tofu. Adding chopped onion, garlic, minced peppers, jalapenos, spices or a favorite tomato sauce also spices things up. A finishing touch of barbecue sauce, cheese, bacon or foie gras--not to mention the standard vegetable garnish--can add up to a meal on a bun pretty quickly. My favorite wine to pair with hamburgers is a zesty Zinfandel showing berry fruit, spicy flavors and decent acidity.

Another favorite around our household is a butterflied leg of lamb, packed in garlic and olive oil with all the fat and fascia removed. (Scalise meat market does this very nicely for you.) It goes great with grilled asparagus, oven-roasted red potatoes and a bit of wine reduction sauce. Try a hearty Petite Syrah, or a slightly gamey Syrah or Shiraz with this, and don't worry about the vampires. (The garlic will protect you.)

A really unusual and fun thing to prepare is a mustard chuck roast. (This requires a bed of hot coals, so you can't use a gas grill, but it's perfect for all you Weber fans.) You'll need a 2 1/2-inch thick boneless chuck roast, a big jar of French's Classic Yellow mustard and a few pounds of rock salt. Cover the roast with the mustard and pack the rock salt on to form a coating. Then, throw it right on the hot coals--that's right, no grill or grate needed--and turn after 20 minutes. The original coating will fall off while the bottom half sits on the coals for another 15 minutes. When you cut into it, you will find an amazingly tender and flavorful roast that goes great with sauteed greens and grilled butternut squash. The dish is prefect with a Malbec from Argentina or a good California Sangiovese.

Bon appetit!