London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 19, 2026

A brief guide to pairing wine with barbecued food

A brief guide to pairing wine with barbecued food

Skin contact, old world grapes, chilled reds and more: Smokestak man Ben Dargue runs over the essentials for great booze with a barbie

It’s worth starting with the classic regions and styles — reds from Rioja, Argentinian malbec — anywhere where they have a culture of cooking over fire. If you prefer new world bottles, American wines with old world grapes always work well for reds — pinots noirs, shiraz, cab-savs.

Still, the trend now really is to look for new-style producers in old world regions: something like the classic pinot noir from Burgundy, but made by someone like Frederic Cossard, who gets some really interesting flavour profiles.

These are wines that can be chilled as well — ideal if it’s baking — and they’re slightly lighter in style, so you’re not having super heavy wine with super heavy food.

If you can, look for wines that have a lot of acidity; I really like what the Austrian winemaker Claus Preisinger does with blaufränkisch; that high acidity helps it cut through the fat.

New takes on old grapes: Dargue recommends wine from both Claus Preisinger and Frederic Cossard

A dark rosé will work really well too, especially if it’s really hot out. It’s worth playing around with.

If you’re more into white, a riesling is always good — obviously there’s a lot of variation but a bit of sweetness helps cut through. Also look to something like a sauvignon blanc with a bit more skin contact — that really gives the wine a lot more depth, which helps handling the food.

To that end, orange wine, which always has more skin-contact, typically goes well with barbecue, and should work for fans of white.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Iran Claims It Destroyed Bahrain’s Main Artificial Intelligence Center in Missile and Drone Strike
Brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate Who Turned "Toxic Masculinity" Into a Brand Arrested in Miami as Britain Seeks Their Extradition
Trump Administration Pressures Banks to Restrict Financial Access for Undocumented Immigrants
Passenger Bound for Germany Refused to Sit Beside a Woman on a Plane — Then Slapped a Flight Attendant
Ukraine’s Leadership Rift Spills Into the Streets as Protesters Target Army Chief
Ukrainian Drone Barrage Kills Eight and Strikes Russian Logistics Network
Key Trends to Watch
Financial Conduct Authority Warns Cloud and Digital Risks Are Becoming a Financial Priority
Jeffrey Donaldson Appeals Sexual Abuse Conviction as Democratic Unionist Party Opens Review
Welsh Health Authorities Launch Emergency Meningitis Vaccination Programme for Students
Scottish Business Activity Falls for Third Month as Companies Face Rising Costs
Bank of England Regulators Demand Better Access to Digital Banking Services
United Kingdom Cuts Bilateral Aid to Several African Countries by Up to Ninety Per Cent
United Kingdom Introduces Tougher Deportation Rules After Rochdale Exploitation Scandal
NHS England Launches Wearable Technology Plan to Reduce Sepsis Deaths
Amazon Web Services Billing Error Sends Trillion-Dollar Invoices to British Companies
Bank of England Takes Direct Regulatory Role Over Major Global Cloud Providers
Extreme Summer Heat Drives Record Fire Risk and Rising Deaths Across Britain
United Kingdom Nationalisation of British Steel Sparks Diplomatic Dispute With China
United Kingdom Economy Shows Weak Growth Ahead of Major Autumn Budget
Andy Burnham Set to Become United Kingdom Prime Minister After Labour Leadership Victory
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
The Monaco Bombing Has Become a Test of Ukraine’s Intelligence Accountability
Leadership Change and Strategic Rivalry Redraw the Political Map
Energy Risk, Uneven Growth and the New Geography of Global Capital
The AI Race Enters Its Infrastructure Era
Security and resilience remain long-term national priorities
Britain balances growth ambitions with public finance pressures
Regional devolution becomes a defining theme of the next Labour era
Industrial strategy returns to the centre of British economic policy
Political Instability Remains a Challenge for UK Investment Confidence
Brexit Economic Debate Continues as Public Concerns Over Long-Term Impact Remain
UK Climate Risks Rise as Met Office Warns Extreme Weather Is Becoming More Common
Housing Shortages and Regional Inequality Become Key Priorities Under Incoming Labour Leadership
National Health Service Reform Remains One of Britain’s Biggest Political Challenges
Bank of England Remains at Centre of UK Economic Debate Over Inflation and Growth
UK Economy Shows Recovery Signs but Households and Businesses Remain Under Pressure
Britain Deepens European Defence Cooperation as NATO Allies Seek Stronger Security Capabilities
United Kingdom Expands Sanctions Against Russian Cyber Networks Over Security Threats
UK Industrial Strategy Faces Test After Government Takes Control of British Steel
British Businesses Seek Policy Clarity as Andy Burnham Prepares to Lead Labour Government
Andy Burnham’s Labour Leadership Signals Major Shift Toward Regional Power and Devolution
British Steel Nationalisation Creates New UK-China Tensions Over Control of Strategic Industry
For 36 Years, He Scammed About 300 Luxury Hotels — Until He Was Caught
England's World Cup Exit Expected to Cost Hospitality and Retail £334 Million
Former ICC Prosecutor Aide Speaks Publicly About Allegations Against Karim Khan
Opposition Raises Questions Over June Heatwave Power Grid Pressures
Mastercard Explores Sale of Majority Stake in UK Payments Operator Vocalink
Boeing Forecasts Global Commercial Aircraft Fleet Will Double by 2045
×