Sarah Tracey pairs wine with grilled food, as she has been involved in the food service industry for an extended period of time. She claims if one grills over white oak then oaky wines should be used cautiously. Tracey recommends tangy barbecue servings with red wine, but one may properly match the texture of the barbecue with a white wine. Also, Tracey suggests really smoky wines with burgers. For other wine dinner pairings, Tracey advertises specific wine titles such as Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Sancerre.

Key Takeaways:

• “Just that light touch of oak is really beautiful, but I think too much can be kind of a fighting match between the food and wine,” she said.
• a lot of Zins have those great cherry cola notes that play well with a traditional barbecue sauce.
• I think a northern Rhone Syrah is a fun way to echo the flavors that the grill brings to the party, because you have some pepper in the profile of the wine.

““Pairing rules apply across all styles of cooking, but for me when you’re talking about grilling over wood — grilling over white oak, like we do — I want to tread softly with very oaky wines. Just that light touch of oak is really beautiful, but I think too much can be kind of a fighting match between the food and wine,” she said.”

http://nrn.com/beverage-trends/wines-drink-grilled-meats-and-beets