Food And Wine Choice Advice From An Expert Wine Taster
By Chris Robertson, Mon Jan 2nd

Food and were meant to go together. In my big Italianfamily, no gathering was complete without plenty of both. Winterfeasts were easy for the food and lovers among us - ahearty red table is the perfect foil for most southernItalian dishes. A pitcher of table drawn from the cask inthe basement was the typical accompaniment to our everydaymeals.

Red, white or rose, Italian table wines are meant to be imbibedin the casual atmosphere of a family dinner. They are lightenough to be enjoyed even by the casual food and wineenthusiast, and robust enough to complement the full-flavoredrichness of smoked and barbecued food. Which leads us to thesubject of this little soliloquy - mixing and matching food andwine for the barbecue. My own tastes run to Italian jug wines,and if it was up to me, I'd tell you to just go out and buy ajug of Chianti and a jug of Lambrusco. It's what I grew up with,and I happen to love the little sparkle that a good Lambrusco(yes, they do exist!) adds to food.

In the interests of presenting a fair and educated view,however, I decided to check with an expert. Austin Liquor hasbeen voted Best Liquor Store in Worcester for the past 5 years,mostly on the strength of its weekly tasting. A Fridaynight tradition in Worcester since the late 1970s, each tastingoffers food and based around one or two specific vintages.I was directed to Richard Beams, Austin Liquor's resident wineexpert, and directed my question to him: "What food and winecombination would you recommend for a summer barbecue?"

I did get my recommendations - but I also got a wonderfuloverview of Rich's philosophy of choosing wines, especially forfun or everyday occasions.

"I don't think it's necessary for people to spend more than $12for a bottle of for an everyday dinner," he told me. "For aspecial occasion like an anniversary dinner, sure, you can spend$20 or more for a bottle. A barbecue is a fun occasion, though.For a barbecue you can get really good quality for under$12."

That may come as a surprise to those of us who have beenintimidated into believing that the only true quality wines comewith corks and high price tags.

Said Rich to that: "I like to be fun. It should be fun. Toomany people try to snob it up and break down the flavors so farthat it's not fun anymore. I advise people to find somethingthey like and enjoy it. I like to steer people to the lessexpensive wines that are excellent quality."

So what does Rich recommend to go with the food at a summerbarbecue?

"I like to recommend a nice, light Riesling, " he told me."Something crisp and fresh."

In fact,

he told me, several of their recent tastingafternoons have featured barbecued food and thatcomplements it. He recommended several wines that he feels are'fun wines' with good value.

Flaio Primitivo (Salento, Italy) Primitivo is a grape varietalgrown in the heel of Italy's boot. It's very similar to a goodCalifornia Zinfandel - in Rich's words it's "almost an exactcopy". It retails for about $7 a bottle and is a greataccompaniment for burgers and ribs.

Bonny Doon Big House Red (California) Bonny Doon has a lot offun with their wines, according to Rich, and he does believethat should be fun. Big House Red is a blend of 7 or 8grapes. According to Bonny Doon's own web site, those varietalsinclude syrah, petite sirah, Grenache, barbera and malbec. Itretails for about $12 a bottle and its robust licorice andraspberry-accented bouquet stands up to the spiciest barbecuedribs.

Monte Antico (Tuscany, Italy) - "very similar to a ChiantiSangiovese," said Rich. At $12 a bottle, it's got great fruit,balances a barbecue, holds up well, and has a very Italianlooking label." To quote Monte Antico's own press, this is"Dark ruby in color, its bouquet of leather, earth, herbs, blackcherries, licorice and plums is confirmed on the medium tofull-bodied palate - round, spicy, elegant, attractively fruityand extremely versatile with any fare from pasta or risotto, tomeat, fowl and cheese."

Rich's final recommendation was another 'fun' wine, one that hesays is a great 'food wine'. The top in his book is:

Three Thieves 2002 Zinfandel was voted #8 as one of the HottestSmall Brands of 2005. The comes in a 1 liter jug with ascrew top, and is marketed as a 'fun thing', says Rich, but thewine inside is a full bodied red zinfandel that goes great withburgers or eggplant parmagiana.

"The is excellent, and it's about $11," Rich added. He alsoadded the following advice for would-be fanciers. "Youdon't have to spend a lot to find excellent quality wines. Ifyou find something that you like, make a note. You can go into astore and tell someone there that you liked 'this brand' andthey'll steer you to other similar wines for you to try."

Final analysis? Good food and that's fun are thecornerstone of a great summer barbecue. Skip the fancy labels,vintages and price tags and pick out a that you like. Whocares what the noses think as long as your nose is tickled pink?

About the author:Chris Robertson is an author of MajonInternational, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies onthe web. Visit this Food Websiteand Majon's Fooddirectory.