The 7 Best Wines to Drink at Your Barbecue

Founded in 1973 by the well-known CVNE winery, Contino is named for the head soldier—de contino—responsible for the safety of the royal family. The group’s vineyard holdings currently consist of 153 acres in Rioja Alavesa, and to this day the patron saint of vineyards Saint Gregory graces the winery’s logo because legend has it that he once visited the estate. Contino 2020 Viña del Olivo is a stunning blend of 69 percent Tempranillo, 23 percent Graciano, and 8 percent Mazeulo with aromas of crushed violet petals, red plum, and freshly picked cherry. It is full bodied in the mid palate with flavors of plum, dried fig, red raspberry, espresso bean, and dark chocolate. 

Morgan Twain-Peterson, the son of Zinfandel winemaker legend, Joel Peterson, started Bedrock Wine Company in 2007 and made his first offerings in a refurbished chicken coop in a friend’s backyard. He has since grown the company and brought Chris Cottrell in as a partner. Their 2023 Beeson Ranch Zin is made from grapes grown on old vines and has aromas of graphite, cassis, and black plum with soft, velvety tannins and flavors of black currant, violet petal, and black raspberry.

Dr. Christopher Penfold carried old world grapevines in his luggage when he and his wife Mary crossed the sea to emigrate to Australia. In 1844 they established the Wine Company at their Magill Estate. Today, St. Henri Shiraz is probably one of the best-known made in the entire country of Australia if not the world. The 2018 vintage is exceptional and is drinking perfectly right now. Aromas of anise, black licorice, cranberry, and pomegranate pave the way for flavors of crushed violet petals, black raspberry, and a touch of dark chocolate in the finish.

The old winery that once graced the property currently owned by was one of the few wineries that continued to grow grapes during prohibition and local lore has it that Italian immigrants Batista and Maria Scansi were known to made “secret” wine for family and friends. A proprietary blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah, Shafer 2019 Relentless has aromas of black plum and finely ground black pepper with a whiff of mocha. Plush tannins support flavors of black raspberry and black plum with a touch of brown baking spices in the lengthy finish.

Pierre Tramier acquired in 1909 and left it to his son-in-law Pierre Perrin, who later bequeathed it to his son Jacques Perrin, the family member known for developing the vineyards and the estate. Today the estate is run by the fifth generation and continues to produce world-class wines. Its 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards is inky purple in the glass with aromas of violet petals, purple iris blossom, red plum, and raspberry. It has soft, rounded tannins and flavors of black plum, cassis, and red raspberry.

The Tasca family purchased Tenuta Regaleali in 1830 in Sclafani, Sicily and in 1959 Count Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita planted Nero d’Avola and Perricone vines there. The first Rosso del Conte was sold to consumers in 1970 and today it is a wine revered among collectors of Sicilian reds. A blend of 53 percent Nero d’Avola and 47 percent Perricone, it has aromas of strawberry, black raspberry, mocha, and a whiff of dried Mediterranean herbs that lead the way to pleasantly grippy tannins and flavors of blackberry, espresso bean, dark chocolate, and toasty vanilla. 

We first visited Korta Katerina over 10 years ago and have enjoyed tasting their new releases each year. We had a bottle of their 2016 Plavac Mali in storage and opened this week it to test the evolution. We were obviously pleasantly surprised because we’re recommending it as a wine to drink now and pair with grilled double cut lamb chops. It has aromas of dark fruits including black plum, cassis, smoked charcuterie, dried herbs, and tobacco leaf that transition to flavors of dried cherry, plum, and saddle leather on the palate.