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Barbecue Wines

As a good rule of thumb when it comes to barbecue wines, look to the great barbecuers of the world - the Americans, the Argentinians, the Australians and the South Africans.

Barbecue whites

Inexpensive chardonnay is fine for a barbecue but it's better still blended - as it regularly is in Australia - with Colombard or Sémillon, which add a whoosh of tropical fruit flavour. Pineappley Sémillon is also good on its own, particularly with chicken and pork. Or if you really want to keep the cost down go for a basic Australian dry white. Zingy fresh lemony Sauvignon Blanc works well with barbecued seafood, especially oily fish such as sardines and mackerel. Chile and South Africa are good sources of fairly priced Sauvignon Blanc; so is Hungary.

Barbecue reds

Don't make the mistake of choosing wines that are too heavily oaked, or the combination of oak, smoke and spice will overwhelm your battered tastebuda. What you want is ripe juicy fruit. That's always on offer from Australia, but keep an eye out too for lesser-known grape varieties such as pinotage from South Africa, Carmenere (which tastes very similar to Merlot) from Chile and Bonarda and Malbec from Argentina. Believe it or not the Australians also make sparkling reds which are a lot of fun for a barbie.

Top tips

No wine tastes great if you leave it out in the sun

The main problem with barbecues is keeping white wine - and other drinks - cool. A couple of large buckets filled with iced water should do the trick. No wine tastes great if you leave it out in the sun so keep all your bottles, even reds, in the shade.
Big jugs of sangria, seabreeze or rum punch are also great. The sweetness of cocktails is perfect with spicy food but follow them with lagers and lighter beers rather than wine if you want to avoid a hangover.

Great summer jug drinks

Seabreeze.

A modern classic. To make enough for four to six people you will need 250ml (9fl oz) iced vodka (keep in the freezer until ready to serve), 500ml (17fl oz) chilled cranberry juice, 200ml (7fl oz) chilled grapefruit juice and some lemon slices and mint leaves to serve. Pour all the ingredients in a jug and mix thoroughly then decorate with lemon slices and mint leaves. Serve in tall glasses - with extra ice if it's a boiling hot day.

Spiced rum and mango tea punch.

Fruit teas make a great base for cocktails - you just need to make them double the usual strength. To make enough for four to six people you will need 500ml (17fl oz) spiced rum, 400ml (14fl oz) cold mango tea, 50ml (2fl oz) orange liqueur, 150ml (5fl oz) freshly squeezed orange juice, 100ml (4fl oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice and 50ml to 75ml (2fl oz to 3fl oz) gomme or homemade sugar syrup. You will also need ten to 12 ice cubes, a few orange and lemon slices and some mint or borage leaves for decoration. First of all make up a strong infusion of mango tea and leave to brew for four minutes, then strain and cool. When it has cooled mix it with the rum, orange liqueur, orange and lemon juice and sweeten to taste with gomme or homemade sugar syrup. Just before serving add the ice cubes and decorate with slices of orange and lemon and mint or borage leaves. Pour into tall glasses and enjoy!

Hints and tips on barbecue wines taken from the BBC food website.