I tested best supermarket wines to pair with BBQ food for under £10 – winner is perfect with 3 dishes

The Sun

14 hours ago

BRITAIN will bask in 30-degree heat this weekend, so it's time to fire up the barbie and eat al fresco.
But when you are buying the best foods to enjoy grilled in the garden, don't forget to think about what to drink.
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Whether it's charred, smoky burgers, sizzling sausages or griddled chicken wings, you can pick up the perfect vino pairing in the supermarket to enjoy alongside.
Wine expert Helena Nicklin suggests the best wines to sip this summer with popular barbecue foods – all for a tenner or less.
Best for burgers
RED: Toro Loco Superior Tempranillo, £5.29, Aldi
WHETHER it's traditional beef or fancy lamb burgers on the menu for your garden buffet, this bargain bottle of red will have you covered when you tuck in.
Offering extraordinary value for what I regard as a 'proper' wine, Aldi's iconic Toro Loco is a gluggable strawberry and herb-scented drop with enough grip to take on the meaty protein from your grill, but light enough to chill too.
Whatever you smother your bun in – ketchup, mayonnaise, tomatoes or onions – it will go down a treat.
It can even handle the sides, from chips to garlic bread and even coleslaw.
At just over a fiver it's a bargain, too.
RATING: 4/5
Best for sausages
WHO can resist the delicious aroma of a smoky, slightly burnt sausage?
Whether you like your bangers as they come or in a bun with all the trimmings, this Spanish sipper is the perfect pink plonk to wash them down with.
It's had a makeover for the 2024 vintage – and what's inside the bottle is just as pretty as the very photogenic bottle.
Think strawberries and cream with a refreshing crispness thanks to those high-altitude vineyards.
It pairs perfectly with pork sausages, and also chicken and veggie options, so it's the perfect standby for al fresco dining. And it is excellent value.
Best for halloumi
WHITE: Sicilia Doc Grillo £9 (£8 Nectar), Sainsbury's
SALTY Greek halloumi cheese is a perennial favourite on the barbie, with its rubbery texture holding together and tasting delicious when warmed over coals.
To drink alongside, try this Grillo, which is one of Sicily's own grape varieties that makes wine taste of sunshine. This one's a great example with its crowd-pleasing notes of orange blossom, peach and pineapple.
Its refreshing fruitiness will balance out the salt of the cheese perfectly, as well as pair nicely with creamy or starchy sides such as potato salad.
It'll love a buttery corn on the cob too, should you have one. A great garden vino that's just a bit different.
Best for veggie grills
WHITE: Unearthed Gemischter Satz, £8.99, Aldi
VEGETABLES often need just the right vino or it throws things off balance, so it's worth getting a bottle of this if there'll be veggies at your do.
Sauvignon Blanc is a go-to for greens, but a much more interesting option is this awesome Austrian blend.
Part of Aldi's Unearthed range championing lesser-known styles of wine, its name Gemischter Satz translates as Field Blend.
There's a bit of everything in this, from subtle tropical fruit notes to citrus and a cool, mineral freshness.
A great all rounder for on-the-skewer items like peppers, onions and aubergines. It will slip down nicely with veggie burgers, too.
Best for chicken
WHITE: Wakefield Pinot Grigio £10, Tesco
SMOKY charred chicken is an al fresco essential and Pinot Grigio is the perfect plonk to glug with it.
Not all Pinot Grigio is created equal however, and this Aussie version is a world away from some of the cheap Italian offerings that don't taste of much.
Hailing from the cooler Clare Valley in South Australia, this wonderful white offers the clean, thirst-slaking purity that the Pinot Grigio grape is famous for, but with more character in the form of fresh lemon, subtle white blossom and a twist of creamy almond.
Pricier than other Pinot Grigios, but worth it. It's a dream with grilled chicken.
Best for sticky ribs
IF trendy ribs are on the menu in your garden kitchen and you're serving them with a sweet, sticky sauce, you'll need a red that packs a punch in the ripe fruit department. They need some similar, plummy spice notes.
Enter Primitivo, from Puglia in Italy. This simple yet sultry Italian is hard to ignore with its full-on and full-bodied, chocolate-dipped raisin style.
The great news is that it's often seriously affordable too – and this Aldi version is becoming a cult classic.
Perfect for share-and-tear spares or any other glazed, smoky meaty eats.
At this price, it's definitely one to try.
Best for baked potatoes
WHITE: Macon-Villages Reserve £9.82, Asda
WHO doesn't love a barbecued baked potato with lashings of butter in the sunshine?
In most cases, a decent, fruity white with crisp acidity like this Chardonnay will suit, especially if you're talking toppings such as sour cream, cheese, salmon and chicken.
The ripe melon and peach flavours stand up to the richness of the spud, and the acidity cuts through, cleansing the palate from the charred carbs.
White Burgundy with its subtle oak is perfect here, and this little Macon has just had a price rollback so it's worth treating yourself while on offer.
RATING: 3/5
Best for steak
RED: Deluxe Argentinian Malbec £6.29, Lidl
IF there's one thing that Lidl does brilliantly in the wine department, it's great-value Malbec.
If you're going all out on a cut of steak for the barbecue then this wine is the one to drink with it.
This deluxe edition hails from the premium cooler Uco Valley, which means concentrated flavours of ripe blueberry and chocolate spice.
Whether it's a T-bone, ribeye, sirloin or filet, any steak needs a bold red and this one delivers in fruit, flavour and texture.
It'll cover you for your burgers too, and the slight smokiness will sing with the grill.
For the price it's hard to beat, so stock up for summer occasions.