A South American Twist for Your Summer BBQs

Most Americans are blissfully unaware that Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and many other South American nations have one of the greatest BBQ traditions on the planet: Asado.

Asados can be family or community affairs. Depending on the size of the occasion, a single “asador” is appointed to grill a variety of meats over an open flame, served with salads and copious amounts of wine. The expectation is that you plan your entire day around the experience. (Let’s face it. The asado is your day.)

With summer breaking out around the United States, it goes without saying that a BBQ is one of the best ways to pass a muggy, lazy Saturday. An authentic asado might be out of the question, but there are plenty of Chilean, Argentine and Uruguayan wines available that will help you channel that South American celebratory spirit.

Whether you plan to grill veggies or a battery of meats, here’s our picks for South America’s top BBQ wines to have on hand while you indulge.

You: I want to grill asparagus, artichokes and other veggies. Us: Try the 2019 Ricardo Santos Dry Semillon.

Vegetables take on new worlds of flavor when flame is applied. That gorgeous slightly charred character opens up a variety of wine-pairing possibilities. Red wines can still be somewhat difficult, as they can either overwhelm the delicate flavor of the veggies or take on an odd metallic flavor. Fresh, springy, high acid whites will typically be your best bet. A big glass of the citrusy, herbal 2019 Ricardo Santos Dry Semillon from Argentina is akin to squeezing an alcohol-fueled lemon over your steaming veggies. Trust us, you’ll want to eat asparagus every day after enjoying it with this wine.

You: I want to grill lots of meat, but I prefer spicier BBQ sauces. Us: Try a lighter, fruitier red, like the 2016 Aniello Trousseau.

Meat, whether your choice is pork, beef or chicken, generally calls for something red. And let’s face it, you wouldn’t be cooking with spicy, peppery BBQ sauce if you didn’t want heat to be the lead character. So why ruin it?

You want your wine to have high-octane fruit without rugged tannins, but you also don’t want the wine to be so powerful that it drowns out the sauce-driven flavors that you crave. Thank the universe for the 2016 Aniello Trousseau, a light, spicy Argentine red that sings of fruit without a heavily tannic underbelly. The wine will take the edge off the heat without ruining its core. As BBQ wines go, this one’s a keeper.

You: I want to grill lots of meat, but I prefer sweeter BBQ sauces. Us: A gutsier but lightly tannic red will work, like the 2018 Marichal Premium Varietal Tannat.

Again, meat is in the picture, so a red wine is in order. You don’t want to drink a sugary-sweet red wine with this type of BBQ because it will hollow out the other flavors in the sauce and not stand up to the meat itself. The solution? A richer, fruiter, dry red with modest tannins, and that can only mean a Uruguayan Tannat. The Marichal family has perfected Tannat in their vineyards outside the capital of Montevideo. Their Tannat’s opulent blueberry and blackberry-tinged notes are the perfect complement to your North Carolina-styled ribs.

You: Portobello mushrooms are my meat. Us: Try the gorgeously earthy 2017 Gillmore Vigno Carignan.

Even the most hard-core carnivores will lose their minds when they feast on a perfectly grilled Portobello mushroom marinated in olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and rosemary. A densely fruited Pinot Noir would work, but let’s go full-on Chilean with Gillmore’s Carignan. The wine is a bit weightier than Pinot, and boasts a bay leaf and minty character alongside its bright red fruit. Sure, Carignan grows in France and (barely) in California, but it doesn’t reach the heights of what Gillmore has achieved. Your mushrooms will thank you.

You: I love to grill salmon and swordfish. Us: That’s easy. The 2016 Maquis Lien should be on the table.

Salmon and swordfish are “meaty,” but you can’t quite lump them into the pork-chicken-beef category when it comes to wine. They can certainly stand up to stronger reds, but the reds have to be more nuanced. The Maquis family, based in Chile’s Colchagua Valley, has the answer. Their Lien label blends Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Carménère and Petit Verdot into a spicy, herbal, red-fruited whole. Like the veggies mentioned above, the grill adds a layer of flavor to the fish that these wines crave. You’ll crave them too.