Barbecue-Friendly Wines

By Lisa Amand

According to Danny Meyer, any fruit-forward Australian Shiraz, Santa Barbara Syrah or Gigondas, from the Rhône Valley, is a good bet with barbecue. Or consider one of these particular bottles:

Ridge Geyserville ($30)

Intensely ripe, sappy fruit with plenty of backbone.

Taurino Salice Salentino ($10)

Smoky, leathery, with flavors of dried cherries and plums. And it’s a great value.

Shafer Vineyards Firebreak ($30)

A Sangiovese-Cabernet blend. Loves a pulled-pork sandwich!

Cailbourdin Pouilly-Fumé Les Cris ($15)

Lightly smoky and palate cleansing.

Gaston Huet Vouvray sec or demi-sec ($20 to $24)

Honeyed Chenin Blanc fruit wraps itself around spices. Possibly the world’s most versatile white wine.

Published July 2001