The best red wines for National Barbecue Week | Alistair Gibson

We are currently in the midst of National Barbecue Week, which a little confusingly runs for two weeks from July 5-18.
Running with Bulls South Australia Tempranillo is one of the wines Alistair recommends.Running with Bulls South Australia Tempranillo is one of the wines Alistair recommends.
Running with Bulls South Australia Tempranillo is one of the wines Alistair recommends.

This celebration of barbecuing is actually celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The website, nationalbbqweek.co.uk, has lots of interesting recipes and tips so all we need now is for the weather to play along and, of course, some wine.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I have always had this suspicion that Australians, Argentinians and South Africans probably think our barbecuing skills are not on a par with theirs, however when it comes to red wines I think they probably still hold all the aces.

Zalze Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier 2019, Western Cape (Waitrose £6.49 on offer from £8.99 until July 27) is a South African take on a Rhône blend with a very small proportion of viognier added to lift the bouquet. This was aged in older oak barrels, which adds a little spice but this is really all about the purity of its fruit.

The nose offers some dried herbs, roasted coffee and a little spice . This would work really well with barbecued spicy sausages or vegetable kebabs.

While on offer, this is brilliant value.

Running with Bulls Tempranillo 2019, South Australia (Co-op £8 on offer from £9 until July 27) is an Aussie take on Spain’s most famous grape and takes its name from the famous annual bull run in Pamplona.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This works really well and I am surprised there isn’t more Australian tempranillo on the shelves. It is very deep in colour, with lots of ripe dark fruits on the nose along with a little spice and chocolate. The palate has more ripe fruits, soft tannins and a plush finish.

This is very easy to enjoy.

Try pairing this with chicken and chorizo kebabs. If you feel adventurous, how about with a paella cooked on the barbecue?

If you are barbecuing beef or lamb then Viñalba Reserve Malbec 2019, Valle de Uco, Mendoza (Tesco £10) ticks all the boxes.

From one of Argentina’s best known producers, 60 per cent of it was aged in French oak for 12 months. This is altogether a bigger, more structured wine than the previous two. The bouquet is loaded with dark fruits, chocolate, oak vanilla and spice, followed by black fruits and a very long finish.

It would make a lovely combination with a butterflied leg of lamb with north African spices.

Related topics: