Vine By Line	Independence Day: Freedom Wines for a City Barbecue by Paula Paradise

We’ve always believed we weren’t alone. Pretty soon, we’ll wish we were. —Independence Day [1996]

Independence Day in the city is a raucous and harrowing affair. The thunderous, daylong festivities will root out even the most reclusive among us. For starters, there is the requisite cookout, an ancient method of burning food over an open flame. Feelings of intense social pressure loom as the day draws near—one must either obtain an invitation or host an outdoor event. Stirring childish insecurities of being left out, normally confident adults find themselves suddenly much akin to the awkward high school teenager scrabbling to find a last-minute prom date.

For the grill master, the cooking technique itself poses potentially life-threatening conditions with gas-powered grills, lighter-fluid-saturated coals, and dome-shaped smokers all emitting noxious gases. Compound the sputtering ignitions of the backyard with the whirling and whistling of illegal neighborhood fireworks, helter-skelter half-clad children racing through street traffic fingering each others’ sharp-winged backs with cold streams from AK-47 water guns and screaming amid a backdrop of sirens…

This is simply not conducive scenery for contemplating a fragile vintage wine.

And yet, however many in our nation will be filling Coleman coolers with ice and beer, wine lovers should not capitulate to majority rule. The salubrious effects of a slowly sipped, young, vibrant wine, casually priced, can be immensely enjoyable during the chaotic, sweltering hours of the Fourth of July. This is after all as much a celebration of individual freedoms as it is of the collective.

As the citizenry of my ordinarily practical-minded city make raucous merriment while waving flags made in China (from where in 2007, the US imported $4.3 million worth of American flags), I like to have at the ready a diverse selection of domestic wines patriotically befitting any number of refugee palates. I urge all wine buffs to resist the taunts from the beer queue and proudly flaunt their passion for the vine. As Benjamin Franklin once said, upon signing the Declaration of Independence, which started this holiday hoopla in the first place, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

Fight fire with fire: the carnivores

The firewall theory as pertains to food and wine pairings requires that the largesse of the wine be equal to the strength of the food. Matching up wine with spicy barbecued meats calls for a wine cargo-rich in ripe, forward fruits in order to defend the palate against the incoming tsunami of flavors: hot pepper, smoky meat with charred fat, and sweet, tomato-based sauces. The goal of the sommelier is to bring harmony, and with any luck an epiphany or two, to your defenseless taste buds.

With apparent disregard for conventional wine wisdom, which calls for minimizing the heat of spicy foods with low alcohol wines, many food and wine consultants make an exception when it comes to barbecued meats and recommend a high octane California zinfandel. Zinfandel’s high alcohol (15-17 percent is common) may indeed increase the perception of heat, but at the same time the palate-coating luscious, black fruits, without being sweet, have the desired effect of mitigating the flames. The brambly, tangy-edged berry fruit of a velvety zinfandel melds beautifully with barbecued ribs, chicken, or pulled pork.

There are tasty zins available in all price ranges, from the clean and simple Barefoot Cellars to the single vineyard, cult status selections from producers like A. Rafanelli, Biale, or Martinelli. In my experience most zins under $10 a bottle are just too light in body to hold up to barbecue; however, Rosenblum vintner’s XXIX for just $10 is an exceptional value. Jessie’s Grove’s Earth, Zin and Fire receives much praise for its hearty character, but its overly smoky, charred oak flavors are a turnoff for me. Also, although I have been aware in general of the high quality of Mondavi’s Coastal Selection ($8-10), a recent tasting of their zinfandel was an eye-opener—proper zin characteristics on a sleek, medium-bodied frame.

Perhaps no longer an inside trade secret, zin lovers have been plucking great value wines from the zin blend category, i.e., Clayhouse Adobe Red, Marietta Old Vine Red, Big Red Monster, St. Francis Red, Foppiano Lot 96, and Ménage à Trois. All of these wines possess amble fruit, a sunny personality and cost between $8-15. For zinfandels in the mid-range ($15-22), check out Seghesio, Dry Creek, Dashe, Sobon, Cline Ancient Vine, Seven Deadly Zins, Green and Red, and Four Vines. All of these reliable zinfandels are satisfyingly full and bursting with the freshly picked red raspberry and blackberry flavors that make zinfandel a summer craving.

In general grilled meats that are not heavily spiced are less difficult to match. A grilled ribeye, herbed chicken, or simple burger will work nicely with a variety of domestic reds (continuing with our all-American theme) including California cabernet and syrah; or, for a drier, more elegant style, give a red from New York State a whirl. Many wineries from the Finger Lakes including producers like Lamarouex Landing, Dr. Frank, and Knapp are producing tasty, medium-bodied cabernet francs. Standing Stone, Dr. Frank, and Chateau Lafayette Reneau share a passion for European varieties and all three offer serious reds.

Long Island wineries have long established themselves as an excellent source for gutsy, Bordeaux-style wines. Palmer’s cabernet sauvignon and merlot have a distinguished reputation among wine geeks. Pindar’s Pythagoras Red ($12) is a delightful, medium-bodied Bordeaux blend perfect for a cookout.

Whites also should not be excluded from your Fourth of July menu. Try pairing a New York State pinot gris, fuller than its Italian counterpart, or a zesty riesling with corn on the cob brushed with melted butter. I also have a particular weakness for the seductive tropical blossom taste of California viognier. If I were exclusively a white wine drinker, I might make a passion out of collecting wine made from this grape. Full in body like a chardonnay, but cleaner, brighter in taste with tangerine, apricot, honeysuckle, and mouthwatering starfruit flavors, this wine just rips apart most California chardonnay, flavor-wise .

In order to avoid tastebud annihilation, try smoking or grilling the meat with a dry rub that is not too spicy, and if you must have the scotch bonnet pepper sauce, then serve it on the side. Most avid wine lovers will appreciate being able to enjoy both the food and the wine. On the other hand, if the food you are eating is so hot that it makes even your eyelids sweat, then you probably should not worry about what wine you are drinking because your ability to taste will be drastically compromised. In which case, I recommend you get yourself a Chinese-made American flag and have yourself a can of Bud—it’s your constitutional privilege. Happy Independence Day.