Recipe For a Successful Barbecue

Right, I've said it before, but it's nearly summertime. I guess I'm excited about that... Hot days, lots of daylight. Tons of gossip from your friend's hot girl summer.

There's also the endless list of barbecues you're invited to. You remember the days when your friend Callum invited you to the park with a disposable £3.99 barbecue and grilled a six pack of Cumberland sausages which definitely never reached temperature approved according to safe food standards? Well, hopefully, those days are over. You've made it in life. It's the little things like owning a digital meat thermometer and knowing how to marinate barbecue chicken. Well, I might suggest something to go with that. A great dose of "feeling cooler than your friends". How about a bottle of Bini's bright red yet stone fruity, spicy Catarratto / Pignatello blend (these wines are incredibly rare) to get everyone's attention? It might even get you into that conversation with the cute manager from marketing. If it does, I'd suggest following up with some fancy bubbles (try Domaine Hugo's 2019 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend for maximum wow factor - rich, round, essentially rivalling the best Champagnes, this is without a doubt the best English wine out there).

Big piles of barbecue fish could be served with this rich, aromatic Viognier from Le Mazel (this wine punches way above its price point and is also available in magnum format). Slow cooked, melts in your mouth, makes you wonder how George from accounting even has the patience, this beef brisket that makes you pull your phone out and type with your barbecue fingers to message your pal that it's time you buy that smoker would go great with this delicious, medium bodied red from the Corbières in the South of France: delicate aromatics, alive fruit and a hint of tomato leaf.

If you’re at a vegetarian barbecue, and dishes mostly consist of delicious summery salads, bursting with in-season produce, grilled courgettes and local, fresh, cheese, I might suggest going with this Italian orange wine (clean, mineral, notes of orange and melon) or this silky, aromatic, delicate yet medium bodied Syrah from Ardèche (drank this in Andrew's garden recently and it was STUNNING). I find that vegetables can go just as well with wine, you just need to know what to pick and find something that matches the intensity of the dressing or flavours that you’ve picked in your veg.

And look. You should get dessert too. It’s summer! Who knows when the sun will be out again. Treat yourself. I’ll always tell you that. Why not try a bottle of Monbazar 2021 from Château Barouillet down in Bergerac (I can't stress how good value this wine is... £24 for a full-size bottle of sweet wine?!) with some delicious ice cream and fruit. Or perhaps a bottle of rich, syrupy Pedro Ximenez with a delicious cake. Andrew’s favourite is a Tropézienne.

Now now, it’s been a fun day. You’re almost done. I gotta say, my favourite way to end a meal, or an afternoon eating and drinking sesh, is a nice crisp easy going bottle of fizz. Can’t go wrong with this Catalunyan rosé pet nat' (crunchy red berries, thirst quenching) or this traditional method sparkling from Burgundy. Palate cleansers, for sure.

You get it. It’s been the perfect day. You’re almost ready to get a cab home, and snooze at 9.30 pm. Or you might fall asleep in front of a movie on the sofa. Life’s good, isn’t it?