Shiraz is the best match for ribs, you say

If you’re still wondering what to pour for your July 4th celebrations tonight the answer, according to the majority of you, is shiraz - at least if you're planning to serve ribs. Surprisingly it came well ahead of the other contenders in our latest poll with 38% of the vote, compared to 31% for an amber ale, 27% for Zinfandel and only a tiny 4% for a full-bodied rosé.


The logic for choosing a gutsy red is this: ribs tend to be slathered with barbecue sauce which needs an equally assertive ripe, full-bodied red to cope with its hot, sweet, spicy flavours. Both shiraz and Zinfandel will do nicely as would a South African Pinotage. Strong modern rosés made from grapes such as syrah or cabernet sauvignon, many of which are more similar to a red than a traditional pink also work well. Fetzer Syrah Rosé comes to mind as do many modern Chilean and Argentinian rosés which have the necessary levels of ripe fruit to deal with the flavours of barbecued food

An amber ale by contrast offers depth of flavour but also a refreshing carbonation and may be seen by many as more refreshing.

The other alternative would be to make a traditional mint julep which you make by crushing (muddling) a few mint leaves with some granulated sugar, filling the glass with crushed ice, pouring over a couple of shots of bourbon (my own favourite is Maker’s Mark) and stirring well. At least that’s how I make it. Freshly picked mint is obviously preferable.