BBQ Wines

(July 3, 2008)

You shouldn't spend more than $12 on a BBQ wine unless you want to impress the boss.

Here's a selection that will go well with the grill:

J. M. da Fonseca Periquita 2005 (Portugal, $9.40, LCBO #25262)
The Portuguese equivalent of Beaujolais. Deep ruby, cherry and strawberry aromas; light and easy drinking with soft tannins.

Twin Fin Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2006 (California, $11.95, LCBO #70375)
Deeply coloured with a smoky black plum nose; soft and round on the palate; easy drinking with a sweetish mid-palate flavour of plum and blackberries.

Robertson Winery Shiraz (South Africa, $12, LCBO #610949)
A gutsy Shiraz not from Australia. Deeply coloured with a smoky black raspberry nose; full on the palate with a sweet earthy blackberry flavour, enlivened with a good spine of acidity.

Celliers des Dauphins Carte Noire 2005 (Rhône, $10.85, LCBO #110197)
A versatile food wine. Ruby colour with a sour cherry nose; medium-bodied, minerally, cherry and cranberry flavours with lively acidity.

And one white wine (for fish or for waiting for the coals to heat up):

Aveleda Fonte Vinho Verde 2007 (Portugal, $8.45, LCBO #5322)
A refreshing summer sipper. Straw colour with a nose of lemons and wet stones; light and brisk on the palate with a touch of sweetness in mid palate but finishes dry.

Article by Tony Aspler

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