Your Labor Day Grilling and Pairing Guide

Labor Day weekend is here, and with it comes the smell of somebody’s grill going three houses down. Whether you’re cooking in the backyard or hauling a cooler up the mountain, what you pour can make the food even better. And the right pairing can take a regular cookout and make it feel like you actually had a plan.

That’s where having a sommelier down the street comes in handy. Below are pairings for the two things most likely to hit your grill this weekend. If you want to dial it in to your actual menu, your rub, your sauce, or your grandmother’s potato salad, bring it in and we’ll figure it out together. That’s my favorite part of what I do.

CHICKEN

Spicy wings, lemon-and-herb thighs, grilled breasts next to a pasta salad. Chicken takes on whatever you put on it, so the seasoning matters more than the bird.

Lemon, herbs, garlic, Greek seasoning, ranch seasoning, light marinades: This is the easy, fresh lane. Think crisp whites, dry rosé, light beer, vodka lemonade, ranch water, tequila soda… things that feel cold and bright all make sense here.

• Avaline Sauvignon Blanc, Bieler Rosé
• Kona Big Wave
• High Noon – ready-to-drink (also called RTD’s) seltzer, Surfside Lemonade + Vodka all make sense here.

Spicy wings, buffalo sauce, jalapeño, Cajun seasoning, hot honey: Heat needs a little help. I want lower alcohol, fruit, bubbles, citrus, or a little sweetness. High alcohol can make spice feel hotter, and big tannic reds can make everything feel a little angry.

• Off-dry Riesling, Moscato
• Radlers, fruited wheat, citrusy beers
• Margaritas, Tequila seltzers, Finnish Long Drinks

These are all good directions. For whiskey, keep it soft and mixed. Maker’s Mark with Coke or Sprite makes more sense than a high-proof pour with buffalo sauce.

BBQ sauce, honey mustard, teriyaki, sweet chili, brown sugar rub: Now we can go a little richer. Sweet, sticky sauces like fruit, malt, and a little body. This is where whiskey actually gets invited to this part of the cookout.

• Avaline White Wine
• Fat Tire Amber Ale, Fruited beer
• Bourbon lemonade, Crown Royal Peach with tea can work too.

Smoky, charred, blackened, grilled over wood or charcoal: Smoke changes the rules a bit.
Blackened chicken or wood-fired chicken has a lot more going on.

• Rosé & Fuller whites
• Amber ales, Hazy IPAs
• Margarita-style RTD cocktails, Bourbon cocktail

These are all fair game here. Basically, if the grill is doing the most, your drink can show up with a little more personality too.

Cream Sides: These need something cold and fresh. Potato salad, pasta salad, ranch dip, deviled eggs… all delicious, all a little heavy. This is not the moment for a giant red wine trying to prove a point.

• Crisp white, bubbles, dry rosé
• pilsner, blonde ale
• vodka lemonade, ranch water

BEEF

Salt, pepper, garlic, steak seasoning, rosemary, thyme: Classic steak flavors can handle classic steak drinks.

• Cabernet, red blends, Malbec, Rioja
• Amber ale
• Bourbon, Rye, and Old Fashioned-style cocktails

Burgers with cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon: Burgers are not delicate, especially once cheese, bacon, onions, mushrooms, or sauce get involved.

• Zinfandel, Cabernet, Amber ale
• Brown ale
• Whiskey cola & Bourbon lemonade, Iced tea cocktails

BBQ sauce, smoked tri-tip, brisket, brown sugar rub: Smoke and sweet sauce want bigger flavor.

• Zinfandel, Syrah, Red blends
• Amber ale, Porter
• bourbon, Rye, Smoky whiskey

Chipotle, jalapeño, chili powder, pepper jack, spicy rubs: Spicy beef is where I back away from huge, drying reds. Tannin plus heat can get a little bossy. Go fruitier, colder, hoppier, or tequila-based.

• Zinfandel, Malbec, Rioja
• Hazy IPA
• Margarita-style cocktails, Tequila soda, Paloma-style drinks. If you still want whiskey, I’d rather see it mixed with soda rather than neat.

Teriyaki, Korean BBQ, soy ginger, sesame, hoisin: This lane is salty, savory, a little sweet, and usually really flavorful. Think fruit, bubbles, malt, or something refreshing. Do not pick something too serious and bone-dry here. Let the drink have a little fun.

HEADING OUT OF TOWN?

If you’re packing a cooler, make your life easy: cans, screwcaps, and anything that does not require you to remember a corkscrew. Beer, ready-to-drink cocktails, and screwcap wines are your friends here. Bonus points for anything that still tastes good out of a Solo cup, because let’s be honest, that’s probably what’s gonna happen.

BEFORE THE WEEKEND

If you’re still deciding what to bring, we’ll be pouring at our free tastings on Tuesday, September 1, and Wednesday, September 2. It’s a low-pressure way to try something before it earns a spot in the cooler.

For this week’s Tasting Tuesday, we’re doing a little Labor Day triple header: Two Pitchers Grapefruit Radler, Finnish Long Drink, and On The Rocks Hornitos Margarita. Basically, three easy options for anyone packing a cooler, heading to a cookout, or wanting something cold and refreshing without overthinking it.

On Wine Wednesday, we’ll be trying three Avaline wines: White, Rosé, and Red. I like this lineup because it gives you an easy way to taste through a full Labor Day table — something chilled and fresh, something pink and flexible, and something red for burgers, BBQ, or whatever is coming off the grill.

Stop in, grab what you already love, or tell me what you’re cooking and let’s find you something new.

Summer’s almost gone, and these long weekends do not come around often enough. So pour something easy, hang with the people you love, and let the afternoon go long.

Cheers,
Cassandra

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