Let's be honest, we would all grill year-round if weather permitted. However, there is something uniquely enjoyable about firing up the grill on a summer night, when the blistering heat of the day has subsided just enough to brave the outdoors (mosquitos be damned). Barbecue is an extremely broad category, but the wines we have selected are some of our favorites to pair with the characteristic smoky flavors a barbecue grill imparts. So whether you're having an upscale evening of seared Ahi tuna steaks, or just having some dressed down burgers, we've got you covered.

2020 Emrich-Schonleber Riesling Estate Trocken  Nahe, Germany  Brought to us by: Vom Boden | Potomac Wine & Spirits  Regular $24.99 TWS Sale: $19.99    Every good BBQ and meal off the grill begins with prep work. Whether the prep and cooking is a solo endeavor or you have company floating around while you mince shallots, I can think of nothing better than a German Riesling to enjoy while doing so, especially in the summertime heat. A high-wire act, these wines combine bright acidity, minerality, and depth of flavor making them crushable on their own but also food friendly - a great intro to the meal. My pick is the 2020 Riesling Estate Trocken from Emrich-Schonleber.    Emrich-Schonleber is located in Nahe, a region along the river Nahe, south of Mosel and west of Rheingau and Rheinhessen. Riesling from Nahe can express itself with such intensity and grace, bringing together the racy aspect one expects from Mosel and the depth and body that typifies Rheinhessen. The soil type in this region varies, but the steep, sloped vineyards of Emrich-Schonleber are planted predominantly in slate soils.    This estate Riesling is insanely delicious – the nose opens with lime zest and flint, then hits lemon and tropical fruit (mango, lychee), with some subtle white flower and herbaceous notes. The palate is lively, bone dry, and refreshing with a strong backbone of acid to match the fruit creating taut balance, precision, and delightful texture – it makes you want not only another glass, but to immediately find any other wines from Emrich-Schonleber. Sip this while you fire up the grill and serve it alongside grilled skewered shrimp and summer veggies. -Lauren Loeffler

le Puy Rose-Marie 2018 Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux, France Brought to us by: Rosenthal Wine Merchants | Potomac Selections Regular $70.99 TWS Sale: $56.99  When you’re studying wine for the Sommelier exams, there is a focus on learning about traditional Bordeaux wines. Things like the first growths, the difference between Left bank and Right bank, and how to tell Pomerol and St.Emilion apart. You end with an appreciation for Bordeaux but wanting to see something new and fresh, especially as Natural Wine continues to gain traction. Le Puy rose checks all these boxes for me: Classic Bordeaux structure and power Bio dynamic farming practices Natural wine making methods A fresh look at an old school region Make it a rose?! Rosé from the Bordeaux region is not commonly seen, and even more rarely at this price point. With only 30 cases reaching U.S. soil, this bottling is rare, but it lives up to the hype. You will notice the color first, with a dark rich ruby tone. The nose and the palate start showing fresh, beautiful dark red fruit and slowly develop in the glass to express sturdy tannins with the classic Bordeaux cigar box and graphite minerality. This is a very special wine, deserving a special occasion. Ball out with the pairings, surf and turf, lobster tail from the grill, Ahi Tuna the works. The age worthy structure is rivaled only by Tempier Bandol Rose. With how long this wine can continue to open up, I feel the best accompaniment, musically for this wine is Grateful Deads Europe ’72 live album. Check out this split grilled split lobster pairing via Bon Appetit. A shout has to go to our new arrival on the aperitif side, Vittore dry vermouth. Notes of gingerbread and dried oranges, put it on ice with an orange slice and a splash of soda water while you prep the grill! -Jack Zarecky

Raza Pet-Nat Portugal Brought to us by: Free Run Wine Merchants Regular $19.99 TWS Sale: $15.99  My requirements for a cookout pairing are: a wine that is refreshing enough to quench your thirst on a hot day, one versatile enough to pair with everything from grilled meats to fruit salad, and one friendly enough to appeal to all palates. There are very few wines that fit in all these categories, but I have chosen one that not only fits them, but exceeds them. The Quinta de Raza Pet Nat Rosé cannot be beat when it comes to finding the perfect cookout wine. Pull this out of your iced cooler, pop the crown cap, and allow aromas of ripe red fruits and sweet herbs like mint and basil to leap out of the bottle. As you pour it into your glass, the frothy mousse will bubble up and release even more of these refreshing aromatics. The palate exudes freshness with cranberries, strawberry, and mild jalapeño pepper notes. A backbone of acidity and prickle of bubbles make your mouth water and leaves you ready for each bite of food.  Quinta de Raza is a producer from northern Portugal that is famous for their Vinho Verde bottlings. This is their first foray into natural wine production and they’ve knocked it out of the park with their Pet Nat. Padeiro and Vinhao grapes are cofermented with naturally occurring yeasts and bottled before fermentation is completed. The CO2 given off during fermentation is trapped in the bottle and dissolves into the wine, resulting in the natural carbonation. Enjoy this refresher all summer long! -Jake Groenke

Aupa Pipeño 2020 Secano Interior, Chilé Brought to us by: Brazos Wine Imports | Potomac Selections Regular $14.99 TWS Sale: $11.99 (and the magnum is $21.99!) Get a magnum of Aupa Pipeno.  It’s really the easiest and quite frankly the tastiest pairing for a hot summer cookout.  It’s mostly made from Pais, which was one of the first European varietels introduced to the Americas, known back then as “mission” due to the fact it was planted to make wine for monasteries.  Until recently it was made in a quick, easy method of pressing the juice quickly, fermenting naturally, and pumped into big barrels where you could go and fill up a jug to take home.  Now it's here in the states and it's light, simple, and chuggable.   It tastes like wild strawberries, juicy raspberries and roses with underlying hints of dried thyme, rosemary and pepper.  We sell it in cans as well as 750ml bottles and magnums.  Grab a bottle for your neighbors' backyard party and relax, it’s easy. -Andrew Thorp

Alexander Valley Vineyards Rosé 2020 Sonoma County, California Brought to us by: Bacchus Importers Regular $17.99 TWS Sale: $13.99  Lots of people associate the word Barbecue with the act of grilling all sorts of foods. For me Barbecue means Carolina-style pulled-pork barbecue sandwiches with some vinegar-based sauce and coleslaw on the sandwich. ( Ok I'm not a true purist because I put some sweet BBQ sauce on also- I prefer Stubbs Original) I usually brine two 8-pound pork shoulders overnight, and smoke them for about 12 hours (until internal temp reaches 190 degrees) and then pull them apart with some meat claws after cooling. It obviously takes all day but it's worth every second because we freeze it in ziplock bags and have BBQ sandwiches for months! I think the best wine pairing for BBQ is a full-bodied Rose. I am selecting the Alexander Valley 2020 Dry Rose of Sangiovese. It has a nice zippy acidity which balances the vinegar, and a nice aggressive fruit profile which works with the sweetness and smokiness. I love this wine every vintage and the 2020 is certainly no exception. Cheers! -Dan Zetlmeisl

Cacique Maravilla Pipeño 2020 Secano Interior de Yumbel, Chilé Brought to us by: Fruit of the Vines | Glou Glou wines Regular $18.99 TWS Sale: $15.99  There are so many options for BBQ fare, but my favorite will always be Persian kabob. Persian kabob is traditionally different skewered cuts of meat served with fluffy piles of fragrant basmati rice scented with melted butter and saffron, charred tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Joojeh kabob (one of my favorites) is chicken that is bright in flavor and color from its saffron and lemon marinade. A common flavor pairing in Persian cuisine is sour cherry and saffron. The combination can be found in main dishes as well as desserts. This is the flavor combination of my dreams and what lead me to choose Cacique Maraville’s Pipeño País as the drink of choice for my BBQ. Pipeño has been made by Chilean farmers since the 16th century. The name comes from the pipas, or red wood barrels it was stored in. It is a minimal intervention wine that uses the grape País along with native yeasts and spontaneous fermentation. Cacique Maraville’s Pipeño País is also produced without irrigation and is manually harvested. The País is sourced from 250 year old vines grown in the fertile volcanic soils of the cool Bío Bío valley. The result is a bright and juicy wine that has a beautiful hazy ruby color. The fruit and acidity reminds me of sour cherry. The light body and lower tannins paired with the fact Pipeño is traditionally served chilled, makes this the perfect red wine for summer heat. This one comes in a liter bottle for sharing and extra gulping. -Sheena Collage

Clos Erasmus Laurel 2017 Priorat, Spain Brought to us by: Eric Solomon - European Cellars | Winebow Regular $59.99 TWS Sale: $47.99 Priorat is a Catalonian region that specializes in Grenache focused wines. Think of Priorat as Cotes-du-Rhone recast as an ‘80s action movie star: bigger, brawnier, and bolder. While Cotes-du-Rhone is urbanely nursing a cigarette outside of French bistro, Priorat is dispassionately growling out one-liners through teeth firmly clamped on a cigar stump [cue background explosion]. Grenache and Syrah dominate the blend (75% and 25% respectively) with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon added because Priorat doesn’t play by your rules, man.  Aged in Large French oak vats. Also, some neutral French barrique. Oh, and concrete vats. That’s certainly a fair amount of diff….Wait, amphora too?! It would be easier to just say “We used everything except stainless steel”, but I digress. From the moment Laurel Priorat leaves the bottle, you know that you’re in for something special. Extravagantly robed in deep, rich crimson and aromatically dense: an intricately woven fabric of black plum, brandied cherry, and cedar mulch. The palate is mouth-fillingly ripe, juicy and plump with just enough oak influence to impart some extra structure and provide a warm, earthy spice to the finish. The next time you are grilling some burgers, spring for a bottle of Laurel Priorat. You can thank me later.  -Andrew Sayers

Grifalco Aglianico 2017 Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata, Italy Brought to us by: Free Run Wine Merchant Regular $21.99 TWS Sale: $17.99  A good general law of pairing is to match opposites: oreos with milk, stilton and port, feta with strawberries. But when it comes to pairing a wine with something fresh off the grill, an excellent option is to select flavors that echo each other rather than contrast: a smoky, savory wine to match the tastes and aromas of grilling. One of the most exciting and mysterious aspects of wine is the way in which a bottle can express the earth from which it comes, grapes from volcanic soil providing an especially dramatic example. Wines produced from heavily volcanic terroir often have a subtle but distinctive mineral smokiness. One of my favorite examples of this an Aglianico produced by the Grifalco estate in southern Italy. Aglianico is an ancient grape from near Naples and Mt. Vesuvius that thrives in volcanic soil. Aromas of smoke, cooking herbs (especially thyme), leather, earth and tobacco mix with ripe black plums and blackberries. The palate is soft but substantial and shows smoky berryfruit. Soft tannins are present (great for gripping into meat/protein!), and despite the wine’s big juicy nature it has a nice acidic lift (perfect for the sweet/vinegar flavors of barbeque sauce!) Until just a few years ago most Aglianicos available in the US were massive, tannic, expensive wines that required years of aging, so we are excited to now be able to offer more approachable (but no less complex) examples. Other volcanic/smoky wines for the grill include those made from the Nerello Mascalese grape on Mt. Etna in Sicily, and any red from the Canary Islands. As a bonus - If you are looking for something to beat the heat while laboring at the grill, I recommend mixing Cocchi Americano with club soda over ice. Throw in some torn mint leaves and an orange slice. 😀 -Kasimir Bujak Trimbach Gewurztraminer Alsace, France Brought to us by: Taub Family Selections | Republic National Distributing Company Regular $27.99 TWS Sale: $21.99  Maison Trimbach, located in the Ribeauvillé area of Alsace, has 12 generations of wine making working in their favor. Trimbach “Classic” Gewurztraminer undergoes temperature controlled fermentation in steel and concrete vats then bottle aged for two years before release. I see this as the perfect wine to bring to a summer cookout due to its casual drinkability, crowd pleasing nature (not too dry, but not too sweet), and pairability with summer cuisine. This wine is beautifully aromatic with notes of lychee and tropical fruits, yellow flowers, and hints of baking spice. On the palate ripe peaches and a touch of grapefruit peel are on the forefront with subtle, lingering notes of nutmeg and petrol. With a touch off sweetness and formidable acid, Trimbach Gewurztraminer is great on its own or a great accompaniment to various grilled pleasures. The acidity and sweetness make it a perfect pairing for spicy dishes like Carolina style pork barbecue, grilled hot sausage, and chicken with that gooood seasoning because it will help tame the heat if one has bitten more spice then they can handle. Fresh tomatoes and grilled summer vegetables will shine and not be overpowered. Lastly, a beautiful complement to grilled peaches and watermelon. -Matthew Supik

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