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American Barbecued Chicken - Wine Choice 1 can (10 3/4 oz) tomato soup 3 tbsp. honey 1 tsp. dry mustard 1/2 tsp. onion powder 1 clove garlic, chopped 4 bone-in chicken breast halves with skin removed Mix soup, honey, mustard, onion and garlic. Grill or broil chicken for 30 minutes, turning and brushing often with soup mixture. Heat the rest of the soup mixture to a low boil. Serve with the chicken. Makes 4 servings.
This dish is intended as part of an informal Summer barbecue. We picture it out on the back deck with friends who have dropped by, with a mixture of side dishes selected perhaps more by availability than pre-planning.
As a result, we have a difference of opinion about the wine. Karen considers that people will probably have been sipping casually for some time before the meal hits the table. She favors white wines for that, particularly on a hot Summer day and so believes I should come up with a white for the preliminary sipping as well as the meal.
My feeling was that the tomato-based barbecue sauce meant a red table wine. I felt we needed something perhaps a little peppery to stand up to that. As I considered it, Karen's suggestion nagged at me and I began to wonder how and why people really made their choice out on the deck.
On a hot day, a chilled white would probably be an early favorite as people arrived and began to mingle and munch. The reds being served would tend to be light and fruity, not dry, massive cabernets. Would people want to switch when the chicken came off the barbecue grill?
Some undoubtedly will. Many will have a glass in hand and will probably keep to it. While a formal sit-down dinner might make the switching to a new wine for the meal easier, the informal mingling of a barbecue will not. As people mingle and drift from spot to spot, your job as a host is to allow them choices.
So my thought is that reds and whites need to be available that will suit your guests. That means the usual suspects: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Australian Shiraz. A Spanish Rioja (a Crianza, not the heavier Riservas) might go well. So might a Chianti or a lighter Italian red table wine. I also think I would like a red Zinfandel here (although not a white Zinfandel or the more expensive red Zinfandels -- barbecues tend to overpower subtle nuances)
My other thought is that a gathering like this is a place to experiment a little. We always have wines we picked up in small wineries you will never find at your wine store. Right now we have some De Chaunacs and Chambourcins (red wines) that need drinking, and a Traminette (white wine) that I think I will put out to get a reaction. People like to try new things, and if they don't like it, there will be another bottle open anyway.
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Last modified: August 07, 2007 |
