Between discussions on cooking techniques and times, carefree chatter between friends, tables laid out without order with what each guest brings... the risk of not having calculated the necessary wine well is high.
The question that haunts hosts is: how many bottles of wine should they expect for a barbecue?
Here is an easy guide to avoid mistakes, not to run out of wine and not to waste even a drop of it.
1. Wine for a BBQ: Evaluate how many don't drink
It seems incredible but not everyone drinks wine to pair with barbecue. Some don't drink it at all, others drink very little. Evaluate how many of these people are in the group, including children of course, and remove them from the count.
2. Wine for a BBQ: Calculate the number of bottles for your BBQ
The good rule - in our opinion - for a good calculation is the following: one bottle of wine for every two guests who drink, which means approximately three glasses per person. Add to this a couple of spare bottles, to keep at the correct temperature, so as not to be without wine in case you need more. Maybe those who don't usually drink are rightly greedy...
3. Wine for a barbecue: reds and whites
In combination with the barbecue, if it is meat, red is certainly the most suitable wine, so when you have decided on the number of bottles, plan for more reds than bubbles, whites or rosés, with a proportion of 2 to 1.
Which wine to choose for your barbecue?
GRILLED MEAT
If you cook meat on the grill you get very tasty food, quite dry in the case of chicken and ribs, more succulent in the case of sausage, with a good consistency, tasty especially on the outside. Excellent pairings are with full-bodied rosés (in the case of more delicate flavours) or not too tannic reds for tastier red meats.
SEAFOOD GRILL
If, however, you cook fish - which benefits from grilling, especially if it is a fatty or semi-fatty fish - focus on bubbles, white or rosé. The type of fish and the aromas used in cooking influence the type of wine to match: from full-bodied and complex whites for structured fish to bubbles, aromatic or rosé wines for more delicate solutions. Some examples for a mixed fish grill: Greco di Tufo, Sylvaner, Sauvignon, Verdicchio di Matelica.
- Read also: How to pair food and wine
