Chill and Grill (Don't Spill)

Grilling season is officially upon us and it's once again time to talk-up some of our favorite summer slurps, slammers, and BBQ wines. Here are some cool wines to cool you down this summer season. These will have you chillin' while you're grillin'. Don't forget about our Barbeque Bliss Tasting on Sunday, June 10th at Ford Field in Dearborn!

2006 Colombelle Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne
$8.99

This delightfully light, fresh, and crisp white from the Gascony region of France is the perfect summer remedy to a hot day. It is a blend of colombard and ugni blanc (aka trebbiano) which are the same grapes that go into Cognac. It is fresh and floral with notes of subtle grapefruit, mango, and white peaches. Great with grilled vegetables or simply as a stand-alone quencher.

2005 St. Antonius Kreuznacher Kronenberg Riesling Spatlese
$7.99

If you're looking for a summer white with just a little sweetness look no further! This fantastic value late-harvested German riesling has notes of green apple, pear, citrus, and subtle honey. Wonderful with grilled satay chicken, spicy ceviche, or grilled peaches.

2004 Vedette Vin de Pays d'OC Syrah Rose
$2.99 (No further discounts apply. While supplies last!)

Summer Steal! This dry French rose is the perfect answer for summer entertaining. It's dry, light, clean, and fresh with subtle berry notes. Great for graduation parties, spritzers, or casual porch sipping.

www.eagleeyeimports.com

2006 Crios de Susana Balbo Rose of Malbec
$13.99

This seriously good dry rose from the Mendoza region of Argentina is a great wine for grilling. This dry rose is richer and spicier than most along with notes of cherry and raspberry and good acidity. Fabulous with grilled chicken, grilled duck, grilled pork chops, grilled salmon, or grilled shrimp. A very versatile food wine.

www.vineconnections.com

Aromas de Turis Sangria (Red)
$6.99/1L

This pre-mixed Sangria from Valencia, Spain is ready to go! Made from a blend of red wine, peaches, apricots, pears, and apples this fruity, fun summer quencher will be a hit at your next BBQ. Try with BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken, burgers, hot dogs, or pulled pork.

2005 McManis Zinfandel
$10.99

A rich, ripe, smooth, lush red zinfandel with just a hint of spice. Rich raspberry fruit and notes of sweet vanillin and subtle, briary spice makes this zin a surefire hit at your next grill gathering. Great with burgers, grilled Italian sausage, ribs, or a grilled pork loin.

www.mcmanisfamilyvineyards.com

Frontier Red Lot No. 71
$11.99

This rich, full-bodied, bombastic Rhone-style red from Fess Parker Winery is a smashing success. It's an enticing blend of Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Carignane. This rich, hearty (15.5% ABV) red offers up rich notes of blackberry, raspberry, cherry, and dark chocolate with undertones of vanilla and spice. Great with grilled lamb chops, a thick T-bone, double-cut pork chops, or grilled veal chops.

www.fessparker.com

2005 Mr. Riggs “The Gaffer” McLaren Vale Shiraz
$23.99

A full-throttle, rich, decadent blackberry pie in-the-face! This deeply-hued purple monster has notes of blackberry liquor, licorice, vanillin, and espresso. Yum! Pairs great with grilled leg of lamb, a juicy Porterhouse with chipotle rub, coffee/spice-rubbed beef tenderloin, or a thick bone-in grilled prime rib.

www.mrriggs.com.au

Grilled Leg of Lamb (Boneless)

1 small boneless leg of lamb, 2 3/4 pounds, ask your butcher to butterfly the leg for you
Coarse salt and black pepper
6 cloves crushed garlic
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, washed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Wedges lemon or grapefruit

Preheat a grill or grill pan. Place lamb on a shallow baking pan. Season both sides of the meat with salt and coarse black pepper. In a food processor, puree the garlic, mint, salt and pepper, then add the extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream. Pour marinade over the lamb and rub into the meat. Place on grill and cook on 1 side for 10 minutes. Flip lamb, cover with aluminum foil and grill for another 10 minutes.

Remove lamb from grill pan and let rest for 10 minutes for juices to redistribute. Slice and serve. Squeeze a wedge of lemon or grapefruit over the meat and enjoy.

Grilled Porterhouse with Horseradish-Mustard Butter

3 (1 1/2-inch-thick) porterhouse steaks (each about 2 to 2 1/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons mixed whole peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
Horseradish-Mustard Butter, sliced into 6 rounds, recipe follows

Prepare grill.

Let steaks stand at room temperature 30 minutes. With a mortar and pestle or bottom of a heavy skillet coarsely crush peppercorns and in a small bowl combine with salt. Pat steaks dry and rub seasoning onto both sides of steaks, pressing to adhere.

Grill steaks on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 7 to 9 minutes on each side, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 130 degrees F. for medium-rare. (Alternatively, steaks may be broiled on rack of a broiler pan under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from heat.) Transfer steaks to a platter and let stand 10 minutes.

Serve steaks sliced with the horseradish-mustard butter.

Horseradish-Mustard Butter:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons drained bottled horseradish
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallot
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a bowl, blend together the butter, horseradish, mustard, and shallot with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. On a sheet of plastic wrap, form the butter into a log about 4 inches long. Chill the compound butter until firm, at least 30 minutes or freeze until ready to use.

Yield: 6 servings

Pulled Pork

1 (6 to 7-pound) Boston butt, bone in
Black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes
Sugar
BBQ sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Slowly smoke the Boston butt in an outdoor smoker until meat is cooked through and falling from the bone, about 10 to 12 hours. Remove the pork from the smoker and remove the bone and excess fat. Pull the meat apart with your hands.

Once pulled, add the black pepper, red pepper, sugar, and BBQ sauce to the meat, to taste. Boil the vinegar and pour over the meat and spices. Mix well.

Let the pork and BBQ mixture sit a few hours before serving for more flavorful meat.

Grilled Zinfandel Peaches

1 cup Zinfandel wine
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
8 ripe firm, but not overly soft, halved peaches
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
16 thinly shaved (2 by 2-inch) pieces sheep's cheese

Turn on grill to high heat.

In a small, heavy bottom sauce pot, pour in the Zinfandel and brown sugar and stir in well. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer the wine slowly until reduced to a glaze, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Brush the peach halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a hot grill, 1 minute on each side, to lightly mark the peaches. When warm, pull from the grill and place on a warm plate. Brush the peaches with the glaze and place on a serving plate. Lay the pieces of cheese over the peaches. Lightly drizzle the some of the remaining glaze over the fruit and cheese. Serve immediately.