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What to drink with a barbecue

Wine and beer for smoked and grilled meats: a bold red to meet the char, or something bright to cut through the smoke and fat.

The short answer

Wine: a bold red, such as Shiraz, Malbec or a red blend, meets the char and the sweet rub. To cut through it, a juicy red such as Barbera, Gamay or a Sparkling Shiraz.

Beer: a stout's roasted malt locks onto the smoke. A hoppy pale ale cuts the fat.

🤝 Harmonise

Match it: bold reds and roasty stouts

Harmonising means choosing a drink with the same weight and character as the food. A barbecue is smoky, charred and often sweet from the rub, so it wants something big and bold.

Wine

Big, smoky, peppery fruit locks onto char and sweet rub. A bold red and the barbecue is the great Australian handshake.

Shiraz
Malbec
Red blend
Tempranillo
Grenache

Beer

Roasted malt locks onto smoke and char, while a kiss of malt sweetness mirrors the rub.

Coopers Stout · stout
Guinness Draught · stout
White Rabbit Dark Ale · brown ale

⚡ Contrast

Cut through it: juicy reds, Sparkling Shiraz and pale ales

Contrasting means choosing a drink that balances the food rather than mirroring it: bright acid, juicy fruit and bubbles against the smoke and the fat.

Wine

Bright acid and juicy fruit cut through the smoke and sweet fat, resetting the palate between bites.

Barbera
Gamay
Sparkling Shiraz
Lambrusco
Pinot Noir

Beer

Big hop bitterness and bright carbonation cut through the sweet, smoky fat and reset the palate.

Pirate Life Pale Ale
James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale
Mountain Culture Status Quo Pale Ale

What to avoid

Light whites, to match it. Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are marked down: too delicate for smoke and char.
Light lagers, to match it. Pilsner, golden ale and lager are marked down when matching a barbecue.

Questions

What wine goes with a barbecue?

A bold red. Shiraz, Malbec and red blends are Cellar Sage's top picks for matching a barbecue: their big, smoky, peppery fruit locks onto the char and the sweet rub.

Does Sparkling Shiraz go with BBQ?

Yes. It is in Cellar Sage's top three for cutting through a barbecue: bright acid, juicy fruit and bubbles cut through the smoke and sweet fat, resetting your palate between bites.

What beer goes with a barbecue?

A stout or dark ale, whose roasted malt locks onto the smoke and char. Or a hoppy pale ale, whose bitterness and bubbles cut through the fat.

Does this work for grilled meats?

Yes. In the app, smoked BBQ and grilled meats are one option, so these suggestions apply to both.

Get picks for your own palate

Tell Cellar Sage how you like your wine or beer, and it finds bottles and cans you can buy from Australian shops, with prices.

More pairing guides

Meat pieShiraz, Grenache, amber ales and lagers Fish and chipsBubbles, zesty whites, lagers and pale ales SteakTempranillo, Shiraz, stouts and hoppy pale ales PizzaBarbera, Sangiovese, Lambrusco and pale ales CurryProsecco, Riesling, bubbles and crisp lagers How wine pairing worksHarmonise, contrast, and what the engine avoids How beer pairing worksWhy bubbles do the job acidity does in wine

These picks come from the Cellar Sage pairing engine, run on 11 October 2026 with every taste dial in the middle. Your own picks change with how you like your wine or beer, your budget, and what Australian shops have in stock.