Red wine ideas for a Brisket BBQ

[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.

[Troutman]

Perfect choice, the 3 he mentions

[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.

[klflowers]

Thanks for this. I keep saying I am going to cut back on the brewskis and drink more red wine, but I know bupkiss about wine. I know I like semi sweet, but when I ask in the liquor stores the answers or recommendations I get usually don't turn out well.

[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]

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

[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!

[efincoop]

+2! It's allocated distribution makes it hard to find and pricey. But alas, I love it so much I tend to pay the $$ when it becomes available.

[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).

[CaptainMike]

Yeah, I was thinking maybe a Tempranillo as well.

[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

[Attjack]

I didn't say beer does not pair with beef I said wine pairs better.

[bbqLuv]

@Attack "Wine and beef go together better than beer and beef"

https://beeflovingtexans.com/blog/5-best-beef-and-beer-pairings-for-your-backyard-cookout/

https://premiermeatcompany.com/beef-beer-pairing-tips-for-the-ultimate-team/

https://www.mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/5-best-beer-steak-pairings

[bbqLuv]

You can also add a splash of wine vinegar and call it homemade.
Vin rosa goes with almost everything.

[Chuppy]

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