What wines would you serve at a corporate BBQ?

I served these ones. (You'll note that this list is decidedly New World; they are a bunch of wine newbies so I wanted to give them something easy drinking, while still covering a few basic grape varieties. I was also aiming for $20 and under for each bottle.)

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2008 Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine Pinot Noir (Burgundy, France)
Bright aromas of strawberry and cherry, with a hint of savoury herbs (rosemary, basil) and a touch of minerality (slate, wet rock) - especially on the palate. The tannins are fairly light and the acidity is quite high. A nice light red for sipping on its own, or pairing with lighter fare - salmon steaks, roast chicken, pork tenderloin.
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2008 Sister's Run Shiraz (Barossa Valley, Australia)
Aromas of dark tree fruit - black cherries, plums and mulberry - coupled with toasty, sweet vanilla notes from the oak. The palate presents similar flavours of cherry and plum, along with a hint of spice and black pepper on the finish. Medium tannins and medium-high acidity. This is a great barbecue wine that would pair with any kind of grilled red meat - burgers, steak, game - especially if the meat was served with some sort of fruit component (blueberry compote, etc.)
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2008 O:TU Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)
This wine has classic Sauvignon Blanc aromas of fresh cut grass, bright green herbs and gooseberries, with just a hint of some tropical and citrus fruit notes (lemons, peaches, melon). The palate is quite dry, with a sharp backbone of very high acidity. This is a great wine for summer foods like salads, roasted vegetables and grilled poultry.
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2008 Catena Chardonnay (Mendoza, Argentina)
Aromas of pears, apples, peaches and maybe a hint of pineapple, rounded out by toasty vanilla notes from the oak. The palate is rich and creamy, with a buttery mouthfeel balanced by just the right amount of acidity. Pair this with anything served in a cream sauce, especially seafood and poultry. It is also great on its own.
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2008 Grayson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (California, United States)
Aromas of blackcurrant/cassis, blackberries, roasted green pepper, and toasty oak. This is a bold wine with a rich and full palate, a hefty dose of tannins, and lots of fruit flavours from start to finish. However, there's still fairly high acidity, which keeps everything balanced. Definitely a wine to pair with steak or some other kind of hearty meat dish - beef stew, prime rib, or maybe even a grilled portobello mushroom burger.
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2007 Sur de los Andes Reserva Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina)
The biggest wine of the night, this is classic Argentinean Malbec, with tons of sweet vanilla oak and overtly fruity aromas. Very big on both flavour and mouthfeel - this practically hits you in the face with blueberries, black cherries, mocha, liquorice and vanilla. This is a wine to drink on a cold winter night, or around a campfire on a cool summer evening.


What "wine basics" wines have you had lately?

As an aside, I've always enjoyed the challenge of the business related booze up. It's very tempting to go the farthest extremes of geekdom when let loose in your local grape merchant and pick out there varietals and exotic labels even with the constraints of modest budget ("what do you mean you spent the entire party's cash on two bottles of first growth Burgundy and a case of Txacolí ?!?!?!"). Finding the sweet spot of price and truly interesting drink is very rewarding even if all of the assembled won't appreciate it to the fullest. The most recent event (for 250) I was involved in I inserted myself into the drink selection process too late to make wholesale changes, but at the end of the night all of the beer & wine I picked was gone and there were still three cases of the mandated horrible import Lite "beer" and a case each of the sell by the crate White and alleged Pinot Noir. I've been elected to take charge of the next soirée.

Brave of you to pick the Latour Pinot Noir. The safe pick would have been something from Carneros; Saintsbury, maybe? For many years now, Catena Chardonnay has been my corporate event pick--good QPR, and it is nothing if not reliable. The others I'm not familiar with, although big Shiraz, Cabernet, and Malbec are always safe bets, especially for the kind of BBQ shindig you describe.

Good wines Mel. One of the DeVines staff said the O`Tu was a light style, your notes seem to reflect a much better wine than I was told!!
Have you looked at some of the Camplazens wines from S Fr?? Just picked up the Grenache for $18.
Sur de los Andes is turning out some nice wines, try the Torrentes.

Brave of you to pick the Latour Pinot Noir. The safe pick would have been something from Carneros; Saintsbury, maybe? For many years now, Catena Chardonnay has been my corporate event pick--good QPR, and it is nothing if not reliable. The others I'm not familiar with, although big Shiraz, Cabernet, and Malbec are always safe bets, especially for the kind of BBQ shindig you describe.

I decided I wanted them to try a real Burgundy - or at least a close substitute. (Also I desperately needed something for myself to drink that wasn't some gigantic New World fruit bomb). A few people really loved the Pinot, but most weren't so keen. As expected, the big Shiraz, Cab, and Malbec went over fairly well. And yes, the Catena is always a reliable wine, and a pretty classic expression of the grape.

Good wines Mel. One of the DeVines staff said the O`Tu was a light style, your notes seem to reflect a much better wine than I was told!!
Have you looked at some of the Camplazens wines from S Fr?? Just picked up the Grenache for $18.
Sur de los Andes is turning out some nice wines, try the Torrentes.

The O:TU was surprisingly grassy for a NZ Sauv. I wouldn't call it "light," though it might seem more that style when compared with the typical NZ Sauv. I really liked it since it was more similar to a French expression of the grape, rather than a New World one.

I haven't tried either of the wines you mention - I'll have to look for them!

I've been elected to take charge of the next soirée.

That's good news for your company, Kelly! It's amazing the junk that stores will try to push on people who are too ignorant to know any better.

[David M. Bueker]

first growth Burgundy

Oh, hee hee, I didn't even notice that slip up! Ah well, I think we can agree it's excusable - we all know what he meant!

Premier Cru Burgundy?

I would've slipped a zin in there too to go with some ribs (though I know many people don't like the heaviness of zins)

That's good news for your company, Kelly! It's amazing the junk that stores will try to push on people who are too ignorant to know any better.

First: We do our best to keep junk off our shelves. Second: We do not "push" anything on anybody. Third: The golden rule remains, "Give the customers what they want." If it is clear that they don't want advice, then we don't give it.

(Just to be clear: This is not some sort of moral crusade. It's just good business. And if somebody wants Beringer White Zin or K-J, then that's what they want, and we don't have anything to say about that except "Thank you! Would you like some help out with that?")

Just the other day I heard two ladies extolling Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay so I guess it is still in demand. I'm not sure I've ever even tasted it (maybe once.)

I think Melissa did an admirable job, especially with price limitations. I too would have selected a Zinfandel if I could get one above the basic Ravenswood level and still remain in the right price range.

First: We do our best to keep junk off our shelves. Second: We do not "push" anything on anybody. Third: The golden rule remains, "Give the customers what they want." If it is clear that they don't want advice, then we don't give it.

(Just to be clear: This is not some sort of moral crusade. It's just good business. And if somebody wants Beringer White Zin or K-J, then that's what they want, and we don't have anything to say about that except "Thank you! Would you like some help out with that?")

Dave, I probably shouldn't have made such a broad generalization. I realize that certainly not all wine stores engage in such unscrupulous business practices, and thank god for that. However, I have had the unfortunate experience of witnessing this kind of thing first-hand, and yes it was at a fine wine shop too, and not just a crummy chain store. I'm not naming names, however. And I can firmly state that when I worked in the retail wine trade, I followed your three rules as best as I could.

[Jenise]

Just the other day I heard two ladies extolling Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay so I guess it is still in demand. I'm not sure I've ever even tasted it (maybe once.)

I run into it occasionally and it strikes me as better than it used to be, less RS and more acid. It won't change your world but it's actually not drek.

first growth Burgundy

Ok, big ass expensive wine. Is that better.

It's not the wine that gives me the big ass.