Everyone reaches for beer with barbecue. Fair. But if you want smoke, spice, and sauce to really sing, a big red wine — chosen wisely — is the move. At this year’s Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, certified sommelier, podcast host, and wine creator Amanda McCrossin is out to prove it in her seminar, Big Reds for Barbecue & Beyond.
As a sommelier, McCrossin led the wine program at Napa Valley’s Press restaurant — home to the deepest Napa-only wine list anywhere — before building a loyal, highly engaged wine-enthusiast community across social media. Her short, educational clips are playful, practical, and disarmingly clear — the reason so many drinkers trust her to translate “what should I open?” into a confident, delicious answer.
McCrossin is also a bona fide barbecue fan. She sees Southern barbecue as a perfect cuisine for wine — rich with regional styles, layered flavors, and the same push-pull of fat, acid, salt, sweetness, and umami that sommeliers think about every day. In other words, it’s not a detour from wine; it’s a playground for it.
“I think it’s easier than people realize,” says McCrossin. “Barbecue is something we often have in a casual setting, so wine isn’t always the obvious choice. My goal is to show that wine not only belongs there, but that there are so many wines that work, especially those that are delicious on their own.”
How to find the right red wine to pair with barbecue
McCrossin likes to steer people away from rigid formulas. In her world, style outranks grape varieties. Instead of trying to contrast flavors, barbecue calls for pairing like with like. Read the pit the way you’d read a label: sweetness wants fruit that can meet it; vinegar and spice want freshness and lift. When you follow that logic, brisket doesn’t have to equal Cabernet, and pulled pork doesn’t have to equal Zinfandel, but on the right plate, they’ll taste exactly like they should.
“Don’t get too hung up on what the protein is,” says McCrossin. “Is it smoked? Is it peppery? Does the sauce have some sweetness?” For those smoky, peppery, umami profiles, she reaches for bottles with a little more acidity and savory spice built into the wine.
Amanda McCrossin, certified sommelier and wine personality
“I call Grenache the tinted moisturizer of the wine world. It does a little bit of everything, working across so many barbecue styles, regardless of where it’s grown.”
— Amanda McCrossin, certified sommelier and wine personality
A tomato-sweet glaze or brown-sugar rub calls for reds with a little more ripeness. Meats with peppery smoke and savory bark push her toward the Old World.
When you’re looking for an easy button, McCrossin doesn’t flinch. “I call Grenache the tinted moisturizer of the wine world. It does a little bit of everything, working across so many barbecue styles, regardless of where it’s grown,” she says. For fans of California ripeness, she points to another standby: “Zinfandel is a chameleon. Whether it’s solo or in a blend, it’s a great call with barbecue.”
Texas brisket with a salt-and-pepper bark and post-oak smoke loves structure and savor — think Italian or Spanish reds with backbone. Try choosing a Brunello di Montalcino or Tempranillo, or an aged Napa Cabernet where time has layered in umami and dried-herb notes that meet the fat and the bark. Pulled pork with vinegar sauce brightens under Chianti Classico or Cabernet Franc, whose acidity and herbal lift keep the tang lively rather than sharp.
And when the table turns to smoked sausage or hot links, McCrossin reaches for Malbec or Tempranillo with some age: dark fruit, moderate oak, and enough grip to play with spice without drying it out. No reason to be fussy. “It’s just a matter of matching ripeness, acid, and tannin to what’s actually on the tray,” she says.
Though the seminar is all about big reds and barbecue, those who prefer a lighter option can play with white, rosé, and even orange wine at home. McCrossin loves how rosé easily slides into the barbecue conversation, carrying fruit, freshness, and just enough grip to stand up to smoke and spice. She also nudges curious drinkers toward orange wine, which she says is “really wonderful” when sauces turn vinegary — its texture and gentle tannins catch the tang and keep the palate lively.
In Charleston, the bites will be smoky, the bottles generous, and McCrossin’s case for wine at the pit downright appetizing. But you don’t need a wristband to play along: read the style, trust ripeness and acidity to meet sweetness and tang, and keep Grenache, Zinfandel, and their rosé and orange cousins within easy reach. With those cues, and McCrossin’s “echo, don’t clash” mantra, you’re set to make barbecue and wine feel inevitable at home, one confident pour at a time.
Dining and Cooking