Ready or not, Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer is quickly approaching. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed many of the riches New Jersey has to offer in the summer—all the fresh corn on the cob you could eat, some time with your toes in the sand, funnel cake on the boardwalk, outdoor concerts, a hike in one of our state parks, dining al fresco, riding a rollercoaster, tubing down the Delaware, and of course, spending time at one of our state’s wineries, enjoying fine wine.
That list, while certainly not exhaustive, highlights the joys of being in New Jersey in the summer. Another joy? Making the most you can out of Labor Day weekend before summer unofficially ends. For many, that includes a backyard cookout with burgers and hot dogs sizzling on the grill.
If that’s what you have in plan for the weekend, then you’re going to need some wine to go with your feast. Of course, the first rule of drinking wine with your food is to drink what you like. As long as you like whatever wine you’re drinking with whatever food you’re eating, you’re doing it right.
But if you’d like some advice on specific wines that might enhance that experience of drinking wine with your burgers and dogs, or gift ideas for Labor Day party hosts, you’ve come to the right place.
Pairing Wine With Burgers
With or without cheese, the burger is the workhorse of any Labor Day cookout, although there may be some other things thrown on the grill (and we have a guide for pairing foods with BBQ sauce or seafood done on the grill here.) When it comes to burgers, what you put on top of them helps determine which wine to choose.
Classic Burger: If there’s no cheese or just a simple slice of American cheese on the burger, go with a structured wine. Those tannins will complement the fat in the beef. Cabernet Sauvignon, a dry red blend, Syrah, or an Oaked Chardonnay will all work. Try one of these:
- Coeur d’Est: Couer d’Est is a unique New Jersey blend that’s similar to a Bordeaux Blend, but it’s made exclusively with grapes grown in the Outer Coastal Plain AVA. Several wineries produce the wine including Plagido’s, Bellview, and Saddlehill.
- Cream Ridge Winery’s Tom’s Perfect Blend: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Merlot, and Petit Sirah.
- Unionville Vineyard’s Revolutionary Red: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
- Hawk Haven’s Syrah: Would also work wonderfully with any steaks you’re grilling.
- Oaked Chardonnay: Aging Chardonnay in oak gives it the tannins needed to complement the burger. Several wineries produced oaked Chard including Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Terra Nonno, and Brook Hollow.
Blue Cheese Burger: Blue cheese and Cabernet Franc just click because Cab Franc loves fatty foods and can take on the bold flavors of blue cheese. Fortunately, New Jersey produces some of the best Cab Franc in the country. Most of our wineries produce the wine including Working Dog Winery, Fox Hollow, and Iron Plow.
Mushroom Swiss Burger: Merlot works so well with mushrooms. Try the bottles from White Horse Winery, DiMatteo, and Cedarvale. Or go a bit unexpected and go with Beneduce’s Chambrusco, a slightly fizzy Italian Lambrusco-style wine made from Chambourcin.
Portobello Mushroom Burger: An earthy Pinot Noir such as Tomasello’s Palmaris Pinot or Cape May’s Pinot will sing with the meatless burger.
Pairing Wine With Hot Dogs
Hot dogs are fun so let’s have some fun with their pairings. While the burger pairings were predominately red wines, the saltiness of a hot dog lends itself to pairing with bubbly. Sharrott Winery makes both a Sparkling Blanc de Blanc and a Sparkling Rosé that would be so good with a hot dog. Another wine to try with your dogs, William Heritage’s Chenin Blanc is ever-so off-dry to balance the sugar in the ketchup, if you are a hot dog and ketchup person.
The Universal Pairing
Any of the state’s dry or off-dry rosés would be crowd pleasers at your Labor Day cookout and pair with both burgers and dogs. Auburn Road’s Dry Rosé or its sweeter Rosalita gives everyone at the cookout the option to go dry or sweet.
