What Wine with Your Burger

It's now officially spring so lets think about grilling up some hamburgers. Burgers, the all-American food, with a thousand ways to prepare them. You can start with beef, bison, turkey, chicken, or lamb. Veggie burgers come as mushroom, black bean, tofu. That's even before you get into all the condiments--onions, dill or sweet pickles, yellow or spicy mustard, etc. You can see the problem, or opportunity, with pairing the correct wine.

As with most foods how you prepare it with sauces, spices, etc. really makes a difference in finding a wine that works well.

Starting with just meat or a veggie patty and a bun probably a Pinot Noir or similar lighter red will cover any of these. Pinot works especially well with portobello mushrooms. When you start "saucing up" your burger you can get into a Syrah and similar heavier reds. A lot of burgers will have a smoky, earthy flavor and that's why Syrah can work well with many variations. This issue you might have with Syrah is when you're grilling on a hot day heavy wines might be too much.

If you spice them up you can also have Zinfandel as these are lighter-bodied than Syrah so they can work better in the warmer weather. Another choice for a spicier burger, especially if you might be using a turkey or chicken patty, is a sparkling wine. Bubblies can work well, too, if you layer on cheese and bacon--anything salty. You might also try a rosé here. Or how about a sparkling rosé? That might just be the best choice for a warm weather bacon cheeseburger (my mouth is salivating now).

If you're going towards a sweeter burger (ketchup, yellow mustard, sweet relish, caramelized onions) a lighter red works. We're back to higher acid reds like Pinot Noir or Barbera.

If you're adding BBQ sauce and grilled onions (my favorite) stick with a more robust wine like Syrah or Zin. Don't forget about the Syrah blends, usually with Grenache and Mourvedre. Raw onions? I would say don't, but your best bet is a sparkling wine. Caramelize those onions on the grill and you'll be happier.

Want a white? You can usually go with a Chardonnay as long as the burger isn't too spicy, but get one with good acids rather than the soft, buttery style.

Fire up that grill!