Grilled Food and Wine Pairings

With summer fast approaching, it's time to prepare your outside patio for family gatherings and fire up the grill. We want to share our best food and wine pairing choices for a great and stress-free grilling season. If you're organizing a barbecue it is an easy-drinking event, and fresh wine can complement all of the flavors and textures that flame and charcoal add to grilled cuisine.

Grilled Food Wine Pairings

Grilled Seafood with Rosé

Rosé is light and refreshing like white wine but made with red grapes that offer red wine enthusiasts familiar tastes and textures. What’s not to like about that? If you thought rosé was only for a lunch date with your closest friends, think again. 

In fact, rosé pairs excellently with seafood. The subtle berry tones, floral scents, and citrus flavors of rosé nicely complement the sweet, briny, and delicate flavors of shrimp, lobster, and grilled fish.

Grilled Chicken with Chardonnay

Grilled chicken is a summertime staple, and the possibilities for pairing your favorite grilled chicken dish with wine are endless. Whether drenching your chicken in tangy barbecue sauce, marinated in fresh herbs, or topped with salsa, grilled chicken is a crowd favorite. 

Chardonnay is the best choice when it comes to pairing a classic wine with this versatile dish! Chardonnay comes in a wide range of flavors, from creamy and buttery to crisp and citrus.

Grilled Steak with Cabernet Sauvignon

If you ask a grillmaster what they enjoy cooking over open flames the most, they’ll likely tell you it’s steak! The heat of the grill generates a flavorful coating on beef that is difficult to reproduce with any other cooking method, from juicy sirloin to seasoned flank steak. 

A bold wine that can stand up to the robust flavors of grilled steak, with enough tannin to cut through the richness of fattier cuts, is essential for pairing wine with grilled steak. Cabernet Sauvignon is the finest wine for grilled steak for these reasons.

Grilled Vegetables with Sauvignon Blanc

Summer offers excellent produce, making it the perfect time to fire up the grill. You can find bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and corn at your local farmers’ market. 

Grilled vegetables pair nicely with sauvignon blanc, a crisp, light white wine with a herbaceous flavor and fresh, sharp acidity that's often complemented with grapefruit and melon aromas. It's light enough to go with vegetables and won't overpower your meal.

Summer Wine at Metro Wines

When the weather warms up, it’s not only a great time to bring out your patio furniture and fire up the grill, but it’s also the perfect time to stock up on the best wines that pair well with these summer dishes. 

At Metro Wines, we carry a wide selection of wines from all over the world, and our expert staff and sommelier will help you find that perfect bottle to pair with any dish or occasion. For additional information, visit our Asheville store or our website.