Sun Again??? Oh its BBQ Time!!!!

Sweet Sweet Sunshine... Well kinda... chances are if you're reading this then you're not outside enjoying this glorious weather- maybe you're a work, maybe your hungover and the sun is not your friend today, but whatever the reason is... I can see no reason why you wouldn't be getting ready for a BBQ later! I know, I know i already talked about how Rose is the perfect wine for a sunny day- but for a BBQ... well the Rose simply won't cut it! Picture it- a sunny Friday evening sitting out in the garden, full of delicious grilled meat, and your sitting back in your chair listening to the birds with a glass of wine in hand... nothing can possibly beat that!

So hopefully I've got you sold on the idea of the BBQ- but now is where we have to make a decision... what wine will be in your glass?? Its a tricky one- not because its a difficult pairing, in fact the opposite, its because there are so many wines suited to this moment! Now i can't tell you what drink will be appropriate here- Oh No! That's entirely up to you! But what i will do is tell you what my top 3 choices are for this evenings BBQ are. So in reverse order-

• In at number 3.... Its Shiraz- Australian definitely, but preferably not Barossa... Way too peppery and big. Instead what I'm looking for is a Clare valley Shiraz, with it mellow fruits and that perfect eucalyptus touch that they always have- definitely perfect for relaxing with.
• The silver medal goes to Malbec from Mendoza! It may be a bit too big- but with grilled beef Malbec just takes on new life! No wonder the Argentinians are so fond of it!
• And my number one pick! What wine will be in my glass tonight as I sit in my chair with some friends and an excess of meat around me... Its got to be Grenache! Its one of the most planted varieties in the world- usually added to give an extra bit of flavour in certain regions like Rioja, or the Cotes Du Rhone. But on its own it has really rich berry-fruit flavours with some spice, but what makes this the perfect one to relax with is the fact that it tends to not have much acid or tannins in it which makes for a mellow relaxing wine on its own. And on a sunny day like today isn't that what its all about???

One final note- I'm sure all the millions of you avid followers may of noticed this already, but for those of you who haven't...  I've started adding some links to other blogs on our "along the vine" section! Now i spent a lot of time going through some of the lesser known blogs online seeing if there was anything good out there (just in case ye're not satisfied with our own one...) and to be honest there's a lot of mediocre ones but there's also one or two pretty decent ones- so feel free to have a look around... just don't forget about us!!