When I come across a great restaurant burger, I often ask the chef what the secret is. The answer is invariably the same. A great burger requires high-fat ground beef, something in the neighborhood of 20 percent or more.
Cook it over a high heat and get the fat inside the meat good and hot. That’s where all the flavor (and the juices that run down into the bottom of the bun) come from. Anyone who grills burgers using lean ground sirloin simply doesn’t know a good burger.
Anyway, a good burger almost certainly needs a glass of flavorful, juicy red wine to accompany it. That was my topic for a recent Creators Syndicate column.
It’s summertime and the living is easy. That means backyards, barbecues and burgers — and for a bit of adult indulgence, burger wines. This is neither the time nor the place for Chateau Lafite, Far Niente or Opus One. Hey, a wine and burger aficionado must have a few simple guidelines!
Rule 1: A burger wine should not cost more than $20. This rule may be broken for special occasions, but generally speaking burger wines ought to deliver exceptional quality at a modest price.
Rule 2: A burger wine should not be too heavy in oak, tannin or alcohol. The star of the show is the burger. Big, bold, overripe wines and heavily tannic wines have a tendency to get in the way, and their "qualities" are often magnified when outside temps begin to climb. A hot, alcoholic red wine will seem hotter and heavier as the mercury rises.
Rule 3: Good balance is a given for any serious food wine, but vibrant fruit is perhaps the most important element of a burger wine. Light wines with wimpy fruit aromas simply won’t stand up to the smoky flavors of a grilled burger. I also look for savory notes and spice.
This week’s tasting notes are culled from tastings through the first half of 2010. These are wines that deliver both quality and value, while possessing the elements I seek in matching a red wine with a juicy, sizzling burger from the grill.
Click here for my recommended burger wines!
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