It's cookout season and Chris Schlesinger, wine lover and co-author of The Thrill of the Grill and Let the Flames Begin, says summer is the time to bring wine into the backyard to enhance a variety of barbecue fare.

Like grilling, wine is not for special occasions anymore. Schlesinger recommends turning up the heat any day of the week. He offers chicken, fish and vegetable sandwich recipes that can be easily prepared and pair well with great summer wines, like Sauvignon Blanc and Beaujolais.

According to Schlesinger, wine is the ultimate barbecue beverage. "What's so great about wine is it pairs with anything that you want to throw on the grill - from burgers to barbecued chicken sandwiches," says Schlesinger. "Wine works like a spice, helping to enhance the flavors of your grilled food."

Schlesinger feels people have misperceptions about pairing wine with food that keep them from enjoying it more often. "I see it all the time in my restaurants - people fear making the wrong decision about what wine to have with their dinner, so they opt for a different beverage even though what they really want is a glass of wine," says Schlesinger.

He offers these tips and techniques for enjoying wine at the backyard barbecue:

• Rule Number One: There are No Rules. Don't stress about what wine goes with what grilled food, just remember if you like white wine, choose white, if you like red, choose red.
  

• The Goal is to Enjoy Yourself. What you need to remember is that when it comes to enjoying wine with barbecue, the biggest decision you have to make is when to pop the cork.
  
  
• Fear Not. Don't worry about what glass to use when enjoying wine outdoors. You don't have to use a fancy stemmed glass -- a plastic cup, tumbler, or even a Margarita glass will do.
  
  
• Make it Last. More than half of surveyed wine drinkers don't realize an open bottle of wine can stay fresh for 3 - 5 days. Just recork it and refrigerate after enjoying a glass or two.
  
  
• Fire and Ice. If you prefer white wine outdoors, don't worry about an ice bucket to keep it cold, the wine will stay chilled - just don't place it too close to the hot grill. Some people even drop an ice cube in their wine if they prefer it colder.

Recipes

While Schlesinger emphasizes that the most important thing to remember is to drink the wine you like with the foods that you like, for those who would like a little guidance, he offers the following wine suggestions and recipes:

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich on Focaccia with Fresh Mozzarella, Yellow Tomatoes, and Basil Corn Relish with a Sauvignon Blanc. The crisp character and naturally tart, herbal overtones of Sauvignon Blanc are very much at home among these fresh garden flavors.

Lime Marinated Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwich on Hawaiian Sweetbread with Pineapple Chutney with Chardonnay. Try a California or Australian Chardonnay - wines with lots of ripe fruit flavors that marry well with pineapple chutney and provide a luscious counterpoint to the grilled fish.

Grilled Coriander Rubbed Chicken Sandwich with Chipotle Lime Mayonnaise on a Kaiser Roll with a chilled Beaujolais. Chicken and Beaujolais are almost always a great match, but the light fruitiness and good acidity of Beaujolais will be especially delightful as a complement to the coriander and lime.

For more suggestions for what wines to try with delicious burger toppings and other grilled favorites, check out the Grilled Food and Wine Matcher at WineAnswers.com and the informative article What Wine With My Burger?

Related Links

• Burger Tips and Recipes
• Picnics, Cookouts & Barbecues
  
  

  Chris Schlesinger's passion for loud, spicy flavors and live fire cooking is expressed at his two Massachusetts' restaurants, The East Coast Grill, which focuses on seafood, and The Back Eddy, which features a menu that communicates the restaurant's close relationship with local farmers, fisherman, brewers, vintners and cheese makers. Besides being a restaurateur, Chris also is the author, with John Willoughby, of several cookbooks: The Thrill of the Grill; Salsa, Sambals, Chutneys, and Chowchows; Big Flavors of the Hot Sun; Lettuce in Your Kitchen; License to Grill; and Let the Flames Begin.