Outdoor Summer Dining & Wine

One of the challenging questions I’ve been asked is which wine to serve with a specific dish. As I’ve never served as a sommelier in a restaurant, where they know exactly which wines to pair with their menus, I turn back to my lessons from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), trial and error, and a great book: What to Drink with What you Eat (see below for the full skinny on the book).
But this time you tried to stump me with the question, “What wines can I pair with outdoor summer dining?” For me outdoor summer dining can be anything from cheese and charcuterie, a chilled seafood salad, fresh fish and of course a heartier barbequed meal with picnic-style sides. So lets tackle them all shall we?

Summer Pairings

From my studies the first thing I learned was to pair like with like or opposites with opposites. So for your cheese, charcuterie and salads – basically lighter fare – think sparkling wine (actually known for pairing well with everything), as well as lighter whites, with little to zero oak barrel aging. (The flavor of a heavily oaked Chardonnay can overpower a light dish.) Try light white Rhone wines like Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne, as well as non-oaked Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Beaujolais (or any light red), and Sangria with these lighter summer dishes.
With your BBQ dinners you will want something beefier, for the lack of a better word, that can stand up to a barbeque sauce. But it’s still warm out so you may want to try Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc or a Rose Champagne; and if you really want a red there is no harm in serving yours at room temperature, so you can put a slight chill on a Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot wine, or go for something spicier like a Zinfandel or a Shiraz.

The Definitive Pairing Book

When you are working out your menu for summer dining the pairing book What to Eat with What You Drink I referenced earlier comes in so handy. If you ask me what to pair with something so random that I have no immediate suggestions, I will search this handy book and offer up ideas that range from all types of wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks such as tea.
For example, the section on what to pair with scallops includes how the scallops are prepared – as the sauce or cooking style makes a huge difference in a pairing. The “in general” suggestions are followed by the style you’ve cooked your scallops. So while a standard shellfish may do nicely with several different types of white wine, your scallops made with brown butter would do better with a dark beer, a citrus sauce calls for a Riesling, cream sauce begs for Champagne, and so on. Read more below.
WHAT to DRINK with WHAT you EAT THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO PAIRING FOOD WITH WINE, BEER, SPIRITS, COFFEE, TEA – EVEN WATER – BASED ON EXPERT ADVICE FROM AMERICA’S BEST SOMMELIERS by ANDREW DORNENBURG and KAREN PAGE, JAMES BEARD AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS OF Becoming a Chef AND Culinary Artistry (This mix of CAPITAL LETTERS and italics is how the cover looks.)
The book is divided in two sections: First is alphabetical by food; second is alphabetical by drink. Actually there are 8 chapters in all but it still is encapsulated in the two ideas.
Hopefully I’ve covered all of the bases to answer your questions regarding summer dining with wine, and if not check out this definitive book on the subject!

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Las Vegas Proof Awards, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

​

Comments