Wines For Summer Grilling

As the seasons change, our food  and wine pairings change. Summer is no different. This is a season where you can truly appreciate the fruity flavors of wine accompanied by some wonderful foods cooked on a grill. To assist you with a wine and food pairings this summer, we found some useful suggestion that you can use.



Grill-friendly Red Varietals to Consider:

Zinfandels will be able to handle a wide variety of red meats. This bold red wine bellies up to meaty, smokey flavors – allowing the varietal’s black pepper spice, acidity and ripe tannins to carry the meat’s fats and texture to a new dimension. A Zin will also work well with barbeque sauce, steak sauce and mild salsas – if there is too much spice in the sauce the two will compete and both the wine and the sauce end up as losers.

Merlot is the spicy sauce answer to the above dilemma. With the characteristic fruit-forward flavor profile, this varietal will support the spice and not aggravate it. Grilled pork chops, chicken and garden-variety salads with lighter dressings also mingle well with Merlot.

Shiraz/Syrah another varietal that makes the grill-friendly wine list. This varietal is delicious with just about any red meat. Offering dynamic, somewhat aggressive fruit flavors, balanced with more mellow tannins and a softer-fuller body – this wine’s place to shine is definitely at a barbecue gathering! Rhone Syrahs tend to have a smokier flavor characteristic and lend themselves extremely well to smoked brisket.

Cabernet Sauvignon is made for steaks with a higher fat content and burgers of beef or turkey will pair equally well. The tighter tannins are significantly mellowed by the meat’s fat, producing a palate pleaser to remember! Top your burgers with bold cheeses, like blue or sharp cheddar and this varietal gets even better!

Pinot Noir a flexible varietal that is known for being extremely food-friendly. Can go from grilled fish to a juicy burger in a single sip! Pinot Noir is an ideal candidate for grilled fish – especially salmon, burgers and chicken both bare their best in the presence of Pinot Noir. If you aren’t sure if what wine will work with your grilled dinner, Pinot Noir will likely be your best bet.

Grill-friendly White Varietals to Consider:

Chardonnay will work wonderfully with grilled fish (including shellfish), chicken with creamy sauces, and grilled corn on the cob with lots of butter!

Riesling the perfect varietal for grilled brats, shrimp, barbecue chicken, grilled pineapple and a variety of grilled veggies.

Sauvignon Blanc has a herbaceous quality that supports marinades and sauces with similar attributes. For example, grilled chicken that has been doused in Italian dressing or a citrus marinade will be unbeatable with a Sauvignon Blanc. Likewise, roasted peppers, veggies in fresh herbs, grilled fish with dill and lemon will all be highlighted in tandem with a Sauvignon Blanc.

Gewurztraminer often offers a balance to spice with its slightly to moderately sweet character. This varietal would be a great choice to go with blackened Mahi Mahi, or grilled Cajun chicken with fresh mango salsa.

In very, very general red wines go well with grilled red meats - we’re talking your basic burgers, steaks, ribs and the like. These meats can be somewhat salty, a bit smokey and tend to be a touch sweeter if grilled due to marinades, sauces, condiments, cooking times, etc. The lighter meats and sauces are more apt to flow better with white wines that share similar flavors as the foods they are meant to accent. If you are having a backyard barbecue, offer a few whites and a few reds and let your guests mix and match to see which flavor pairs suit their preferences. They are no hard and fast rules when it comes to pairing wines with your grilled foods, just generalities that can get you going. Ultimately it is your palate that your seeking to please by the wine pairing.

This should get you started on appreciating grilled food and wine pairings. Thank you to about.com for their information concerning this topic. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting!
Joseph A Jones & The WellLife Team

Summer Wines

         Summer is here. That means you want to enjoy light fruity wines that accompany light fresh summer foods so it is imperative that you have a vast selection  of summer wines to choose from. That is why we have a list of summer wines from slate.com that you can use for your special summer meals. Here is their findings.

Here are eight good wines for beaches and barbecues:

Domaine Tempier Rosé 2004, $28 (France)
Egregiously overpriced, but thoroughly delicious to drink, especially if someone else is buying. Like biting into a peach, right down to the pit—there's no mistaking the predominant flavor here. Rich and spicy, with considerable heft. Yet more evidence that 2004 was a great vintage for rosés.


Commanderie de Peyrassol Rosé 2004, $15 (France)
Many 2004 rosés are unusually deep in color; this one is an exceedingly pale salmon-pink. Very peachy nose, and fairly smoky, too. Tart stone fruit flavors in the mouth, with good structure and a nice, spicy bite. Find a pool, find some lobster salad, drink this wine.


Bodegas Muga Rioja Rosado 2004, $10 (Spain)
Spain also did well with rosés in 2004, and the Muga rosé is particularly sublime. It has peach and candied-apple aromas, along with a distinctly yeasty note. Very mellow, but with good acidity and an underlying verve about it. A screaming steal for the price.


Dupeuble Beaujolais 2003, $10 (France)
Dupeuble is always cheap and always good. This one is light-bodied, with tart cherry flavors and tangy acidity. An hour in the fridge will make it even more refreshing. The ideal picnic wine.


Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet 2003, $9 (France)
A nice blast of lemon, chalk, green apples, and crushed rocks greets the nose. Not as crisp as Muscadets typically are, but 2003 was an atypically hot vintage, which can make for fuller wines. Still, the citrus flavors and acidity are pleasantly bracing.



Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvée Terroir 2002, $17 (France)
Joguet remains the undisputed king of Chinon, the best appellation for red wines in the Loire Valley. The Cuvée Terroir is Joguet's most basic bottling, and the 2002 is terrific. Medium-bodied and classically Chinon, with cranberry and tobacco notes and a slightly dusty texture. Great with grilled meats; transcendent with chevre from the Loire.


Leeuwin Art Series Riesling 2003, $17 (Australia)
Crisp lemon and lime flavors in the mouth, with a slight tropical note. Bone dry and pleasantly austere, with brisk acidity and excellent concentration. A true summertime Riesling; save the German and Alsatian Rieslings for when the leaves start to fall.


Rosenblum Zinfandel Vintners Cuvée XXVII, $9 (United States)
As cheap cookout wines go, this remains one of the best. Ripe, spicy, and slightly unruly raspberry flavors—in other words, classic Zinfandel—with decent structure and a meaty texture. True barbecue fluid here.


Now you have the perfect wine to match the perfect summer meal. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback you can reach us by  email.

Thank you for visiting!

Joseph A Jones & The WellLife Team

Special Wines For Spring

Spring is here and you want to celebrate it. That does not mean you want to use the same safe wine choices that has been used so many times before.You want a wine that feels and tastes matching spring which is refreshing and full of flavor. Wines.com au has provided a wonderful list of special spring wines that you can try and  a detailed description on what it would taste like. Enjoy the spring!


Sauvignon Blanc

One of the most delectable wines to be drunk in the spring is Sauvignon Blanc. This white-grape wine wins its appeal as a spring wine for its dry, crisp, citrus and vanilla tones. Sauvignon Blanc also earns its lush reputation for its herbaceous, grassy and oft-described melon qualities.

Riesling

Blossoming of trees, laughter filling the parks and barbeques in the backyard aren't the only signs that spring is in the air - the first few days of spring also flag the official opening of the Riesling season.

While Riesling can sometimes be thought of as a too-sweet wine, there are some great ones on the shelves that wine connoisseurs can direct you to. Originating from the Rhone region of Germany, Riesling is and always will be a sweet wine. But it is possible to get a well-balanced Riesling with higher acidity levels (composed of malic and tartaric acid) and a dry finish. Rieslings are typically characterised by their fruit and mineral flavours.

Chenin Blanc

Possessing many different styles such as a dry sparkler or sweet dessert style, the Chenin Blanc variety is a versatile wine grape that adds colour to a spring day. Some of the most delicious Chenin Blancs on offer include Chappellet's Old Vine Cuvee and Monte-rey's Heller Estate Chenin Blanc.

Gruner Veltliner

Austria's famed white variety, Gruner Veltliner is quite the drop to drink in spring for its vibrancy. Known for its spicy bite with edges of white flower, cracked pepper and herbaceous edge, the Gruner Veltliner will get your tastebuds jumping.

Pinot Gris

A white-wine grape, Pinot Gris is thought to be a clone of the Pinot Noir grape. Also referred to as Pinot Grigio - as it's called in Italy - Pinot Gris is recognised by its rich, fruit-laden and floral bouquet flavour, and jostles images of a bloom-filled spring.

Pinot Gris is also described as spicy and is balanced with acidity and a slight sweetness. Depending on where the Pinot Gris is grown will determine the full flavour. Pinot Gris from Oregon will tend to have the aromas of pear, apple and melon while Californian Pinot Gris is more light-bodied and crisp with an arugula (also known as rocket) and pepper bite. Pinot Grigio however, is characterised by spritzy, crisp and acidic flavours.

Albarino

Albarino is perhaps equated to spring for its light, invigorating body and heady aroma of peach and apricot.

Albarino also goes fabulously with spring food such as seafood dishes or tapas. However it is fairly robust and goes equally as well with Paella, pasta and risotto.

Known as Alvarinho in Portuguese, Albarino is a white wine grape and is high in acidity. Because the grape has a thick skin and a large number of pips the wine can produce a bitter taste.

Lambrusco

Who could forget the sweet taste of Lambrusco, made primarily from the wine grape of the same name. An Italian wine, Lambrusco originated from Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. Lambrusco can come in a white and rose style, and can also be produced frizzante (slightly sparkling).

The Lambrusco grape is not particularly sweet but the wine gains its sweet flavour with the addition of the Ancellotta grape. When by itself, Lambrusco is still pleasant and holds a strawberry flavour with a slight bitter finish.

With such uplifting, fragrant tastes to these wines, we really are spoiled for choice. And moreso, you can see why they are so affiliated with the aromatic, revitalising season of spring.

This is a great spring wine selection to choose from.If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback you can reach us by  email.

Thank you for visiting!

Joseph A Jones & The WellLife Team