Wine and smoking

Mr Hickory

Mr Hickory

New member
Ok, I am anxiously awaiting my smoker, as is every friend and neighbor I have, but I gotta ask...suggestions for a good wine to go with smoked food? Heavy reds (cabernet, merlot, zinfandel) or something lighter?

Never tried to pair the two, but I would imagine the wood used for the smoke would influence it as much as the type of meat you are cooking.

This is the type of question I am sure would only come from one of us California types. I am willing to accept the ridicule.:)
 
ACW3

ACW3

New member
As with any food, it depends on what you are cooking/eating, not to mention your personal taste. With seafood I generally pick a white. I have been known to go with a pinot noir with seafood, depending on the sauce it is cooked in. I love reds for pork, beef, and lamb. While making sausages, you can "add" white or red as your liquid. This alone makes for some interesting tastes. I have even made a South African sausage that used red wine vinegar and brandy. I could have substituted a red wine for the vinegar. Actually, we drank the red wine while making the sausage. Also a fun idea. Be inventive. Try different wines with different cooks. The worst thing you may have to do is cork the bottle and save it for later.

Art
 
TentHunter

TentHunter

Moderator
Oooh a great thread and question.

I have a few aquaitances who are wine experts. One owns a winery and another teaches about wine & wine making. She is actually getting a master's degree in Winery and also is an avid BBQ'er. I'll have to ask her for some tips on this.


He he, I'm reminded of Justin Wilson with his Cajun Louisiana accent and his famous words about pairing wine with food...

"You know what kind of wine goes best with this here dish? The kind of wine you like, I guar-on-tee!"
 
H

HoDeDo

New member
Mogen David and Boone's Farm are really great LOL

empirewine.com usually has some decent prices ( if you can mail order )

Lots of good pairings out there... Some to try:

With something spicy (like sausage, or shrimp) -- Tempranillo Garnacha (Spain)
With Beef or anything 'earthy' -- Nero d'Avola (Italy)
For Apps/Veggies/Etc. - Prosecco Brut (Italy) We got turned onto it and I like it for all kinds of starting courses.

We occasionally have a group of friends that we do flighted dinners with, and the goal is to find the best $11 or less bottle of wine to pair with each course. Now it's really $15 or less... but you get the idea...

Outside of the "trade a house" dinners... Our friend Sloane is a sommelier and puts killer menus/pairings together!!! She's put together 3 or 4 parties that we have held, and I suck as much info out of her as I can! She has shared all kinds of great options with us. The prosecco is one of her best pairings for us... replaced what I would have just thrown something like a toasted head chardonnay into the mix.

Liberty School Cab, and Red Truck table red go well with just about anything I grill, though, and are readily accessible. ;)
 
Mr Hickory

Mr Hickory

New member
HoDeDo said:
Mogen David and Boone's Farm are really great LOL

empirewine.com usually has some decent prices ( if you can mail order )

Lots of good pairings out there... Some to try:

With something spicy (like sausage, or shrimp) -- Tempranillo Garnacha (Spain)
With Beef or anything 'earthy' -- Nero d'Avola (Italy)
For Apps/Veggies/Etc. - Prosecco Brut (Italy) We got turned onto it and I like it for all kinds of starting courses.

We occasionally have a group of friends that we do flighted dinners with, and the goal is to find the best $11 or less bottle of wine to pair with each course. Now it's really $15 or less... but you get the idea...

Outside of the "trade a house" dinners... Our friend Sloane is a sommelier and puts killer menus/pairings together!!! She's put together 3 or 4 parties that we have held, and I suck as much info out of her as I can! She has shared all kinds of great options with us. The prosecco is one of her best pairings for us... replaced what I would have just thrown something like a toasted head chardonnay into the mix.

Liberty School Cab, and Red Truck table red go well with just about anything I grill, though, and are readily accessible. ;)
Click to expand...

I am all about the 15 bucks or less, I actually shoot for 12 on sale or less. Red truck is good neutral stuff. If you want a fantastic blend, see if you can find it, try Apothic red. It's in the right price range, and it is a really amazing wine. The flavors are deep and rich. It's a very full bodied wine. Not a single person I have introduced it to didn't like it, and almost all went and bought some the next day.
 
Big Poppa

Big Poppa

Administrator
OM Robin here owns some big wineries...(Andy you met him at the CLB) A secret weapon wine he makes is the TOlosa Paso Robles Cab 12.00. Robin bottles for a ton of big names all of their central cal stuff...He bottled over 5.5 million bottles. He also owns ALpha Omega in Napa Maybe we can get him to chime in here.
 
H

HoDeDo

New member
I'd love to hear from Robin!!! I'm sure he has some great info to share. Didn't realize he was on the board! Oh Robin.... teach me, please :)
 
R

rbaggett

New member
From an owner of 3 California wineries, there are no rules. Somedays my taste buds are such that I enjoy chardonnay with a steak. However, generally I would say that the bordeaux style wines (cab, merlot etc.) pair better with red meats and burgandy style wines (pinot noir and chard) pair better with fish and white meats. Bottom line it is all about what you like. As for your guests, same rule: ask them what they like. Most importantly, remember that wine is a health food. So make sure that you drink one to two glasses per day.
 
Mr Hickory

Mr Hickory

New member
Good knowledge. Thanks. I agree wines change with personal taste, and they change from harvest to harvest. What was fantastic one year may not pair well at all the following year with the same meal.
 
Big Poppa

Big Poppa

Administrator
Robin has got a grin on his face with the orders for 'health reasons' to drink two glasses a day...He has bought 6 smokers so far and we are putting together a killer trailer for him now. Andy he is getting a meadow creek pr60, and bb142 chicken cooker, two burners and three sinks. Should be great at the winery!

Robin can you make any reccomendations on value/flavor?

Robin and I used to buy a lot of wine together...then I let him down and quit.
 
H

HoDeDo

New member
If I have to help break in that thing, so be it :) That will be great at the winery. Burners will be great! PR60 and the chicken cooker are a great pair.
 
Big Poppa

Big Poppa

Administrator
I love those pig roaster as an all purpose deal

Andy Robin is looking for 8 teams (7 BPs is doing it) to compete at the Jimmy V cancer Napa Valley charity auction...Each team will get a famous vintner as a guest cook and we will compete for money for cancer....Maybe we can bring a set of cookers up and you and Kim can cook it?

Im sure you know who Jimmy V was Jim Valvano....
 
R

rbaggett

New member
Collecting wine is a form of "big boys baseball cards". Today there are so many good wines, especially in California. A great value wine is always fun to find. However, once discovered it's value will go up. So seach for that rookie of the year. It will be fun to see what the wine is worth when that rookie's time reaches free agency.
 
scooter

scooter

Moderator
Mr Hickory, if I read your question right, you're asking if your choice in wine should differ because what your pairing it with was smoked? If you're smoking a chicken, would the wine choice be different than if you were pairing it with a non smoked chicken?
If so, I'm thinking the smoke flavor should be less of a deciding factor and the decision would have more to do with what spices/marinade/rubs/sauces you applied or how you prepared it.
 
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H

HoDeDo

New member
Big Poppa said:
august 4-6
Click to expand...

August 4-6 is usually Laurie, MO... The Hillbilly Days BBQ cook-off, that is my annual birthday party!

Sounds like this year we may be going a little further west. ;)
8/5 will be here before we know it!

I'll have to get all the details - so I'll email you tomorrow.
 
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