Red wine ideas for a Brisket BBQ

[MBMorgan]

BYOB


Or a more useful answer: I'd go with Beaujolais. If not that then a pink sparkling wine (rosé Prosecco would be interesting).

[Chuppy]

The brisket is a SRF with a high fat content. How would a Barolo do with the meal?

[rickgregory]

It would be great BUT Barolo is not sweet (rather the reverse, with noticeable tannic structure and acid).

[Murdy]

Barolo is also crazy expensive.

[tbob4]

My favorite sweeter red in awhile - served with tri-tip. Obviously you won’t be buying and shipping from here but the description might help

https://shop.newclairvauxvineyard.com/prod-448095/Petite-Temptation-Lot-9.html

[CaptainMike]

Yeah, I was thinking maybe a Tempranillo as well.

[ecowper]

Chuppy in my opinion, you're on the right track. You need a wine that can stand up to the beef, but can also cut through the fat. I like Italian wine for that. They serve a lot of big meaty foods with high fat content. Barolo, Barberesco, Brunello di Montalcino, etc. You could do a Super Tuscan as well, although it's going to be more like a Bordeaux and not so fruit forward (ie sweet).

[smokin fool]

Excellent point and where I run into problems, I'm an Ontario VQA wine snob which probably 95% of my purchases.
Other 5% being Cali wines, Josh and the like.
European wines I don't even consider, plenty of great wines outta there but not interested.

[Huskee]

My favorite BBQ wines are reds for sure. And not sweet. That said, that hardly means that sweets or whites won't work, they absolutely will!

IMO the BEST wine advice is to drink what you like. Don't fret on what the interwebs and the "pros" say works better with each food. If you don't like it, then it simply will not be good with this or that food. Sometimes snobs focus too much on the trees and miss the forest.

Anyhow, my favorite reds with bold peppery BBQ (brisket fits that bill) are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Zinfandel (the bold red, not the pink 'white zinfandel'). I prefer a dry, spicier, high-tannin bold red with BBQ. Sadly, usually the cheaper $11 ones from the supermarket don't fit that bill, but that's a YMMV thing for sure. I like Bordeauxs and Barberas and all European wines too. They might be less bold, but they work wonderful with bold BBQ. Trouble is, in my area they're harder to find than California bold reds.

What I've also found is any of the above, sipping by itself pre-food, might seem so-so (especially a zinfandel) but after a couple bites of a bold brisket rub, that same wine explodes with fireworks in your mouth!

[rickgregory]

Chuppy - I think it will help if you clarify the 'sweet' comment. To me, and to any wine geek, sweet wine means wine that has some residual sugar and few reds are made this way. Port is an exception but it's also fortified so it's not really a table wine.

Many of the suggestions above will be fine, but virtually all of them are dry wines, that is they are wines with no residual sugar, it having been fermented to out by the yeasts. Any perceived sweetness is from the fruit.

The other main flavor axes are tannic structure and acidity along with oakiness. I think what would go best are wines with nice fruit, enough acid to cut through the fat in the brisket and something without big, drying tannins (lots of tannin feels like it's drying your mouth). I'd also minimize oak simply because it competes with the food (I also hate a lot of oak on my wine...).

Beaujolais, Barbera, a red Zin, a nice Syrah (talk to the wine shop person about tannin and oak in the latter two) would be my recs.

[rickgregory]

" My understanding is that wine drinkers refine their tongue over time and move from "sweet" to "dry."

I know where you got that, it was long ago a way to describe people and their wine journey but in reality what people tend to do is move from simpler wines whose predominant feature is good, straightforward fruit to wines that show other characteristics - tannic structure, some acidity, complex aromas, etc.

Almost no red table wine is what you'd consider sweet.

[rickgregory]

(cont'd)

the three varieties you're thinking of are fine but rather than a full on Barolo, you might look at a Nebbiolo Langhe. Same grape, same region but usually younger vines and less expensive.Obviously it depends on what you want and how into wine your guests are. Me, I'd love the Barolo

[Chuppy]

Thanks for the info about tannins and oak. I'll watch out for that in my picks.

[CaptainMike]

I'm with Eric, Italian wines might be a good fit. In addition to his suggestions I'd add Dolcetto, Sangiovese, Montepulciano or Nebbiolo.

Or, better still, ask your friends what they like and/or have them bring their own.

[Troutman]

If I may be so bold to suggest this bottle. I just paired it with my beef stew and would go excellently with brisket or any hearty piece of beef.

[CaptainMike]

Oh boy, I bet that was yummy!!! There's a lot of things about California that really suck, but the wine isn't one of them!! I was blessed to have grown up in wine country when California didn't suck. Maybe someday it will un-suck itself.

[tbob4]

You stallion, you! Hahahahahahaha

[fzxdoc]

A cab is perfect, IMO, but not for folks who like sweet reds. I have found the Apothic reds so sweet they nearly set my teeth on edge, but then I'm not a sweet red wine person unless it's a 20+ year old port.


BTW. I recommend a sweet red for those who like it but for those who want something less sweet, then a Cab or Cab/Shiraz blend works nicely for my palate.


Kathryn

[58limited]

I forgot about the Apothic wines. I like them, they are about as sweet as I'll go in a red.

[DTro]

Have had this with beef before. Good choice, pleases a crowd and not expensive. Apothic also has a red aged in whiskey barrels. Not for everyone... but a nice chef's treat.

[smokin fool]

Funny peoples palettes, I was gifted a bottle of this wine and in my case it was too dry for even me and I want sand in the bottom of the glass when finished.

[Troutman]

Holy cow, I can't believe they still make the stuff. Here, go buy them a bottle of this....

[smokin fool]

I found a 4 gallon bottle of this in Fort Liquordale spring break 1974....ouch....

[Bkhuna]

The wine is shite, but the water pipe is epic.

[DTro]

Whatever their taste are, do not go too sweet. We're talkin' beef here. California, Australia and Spain would be top list of my for this crowd. And, you are in luck. The lesser expensive bottles lean away from the dry earth and more to the bold sweet fruit. Merlot, Zin, Shiraz, and Rioja would all pair well. Also, because of the sides you are cookin', I would open a white too. Offer choices, and/or ask your guests to bring a bottle and open them to share. -not a wine critic here- just like 'em all.

[rickgregory]

Folks - I don't think Chuppy actually wants a sweet red. See our discussion above.

[Chuppy]

I've narrowed my list:
Alfredo Bertolani Dolce Fiore Lambrusco
Vietti Barbera d'Asti Tre Vigne 2019

and then one of the following:
Scaia Corvina 2018
Valle Dell'Acate Vittoria Il Frappato 2020
Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2016

Has anyone tried any of these wines?

[rickgregory]

I've had the Vietti and the Avignonesi. Very nice wines. The Corvina will be more dense and have purplish fruit flavors. Not had that frappato but the ones I've had are lighter reds - think strawberry and raspberry fruit. Never had the Lambrusco.

[HawkerXP]

I would recommend these. especially if you don't really like them

[Chuppy]

No--You're not invited for Christmas Eve brisket.

[Murdy]

Hey Mad Dog is sweet too, as far as I can recall, which isn't very far actually.

[Bkhuna]

The PBR or wine.

[Waster]

Chuppy Hope you had an awesome Christmas.
So what wine did you end up choosing? Did it go down well with your guests? And how did it pair with the brisket?

I'm sure klflowers would be interested in this also.

Thanks!

[klflowers]

Chuppy I would be interested, thanks for the mention Waster