I don’t use my grill much in the winter time. Sure I will throw on a steak from time to time but in the winter I rely heavily on my dutch oven, stove top, and oven to prepare warm weather foods such as chili, stews, and braised meats. As the warm weather approaches I look forward to getting out of the kitchen and into the back yard. In order to help keep my house as cool as possible on our many 100+ days I use our grill not only to cook with direct heat but also as an outdoor oven. What are some of your summer grilling favorites?

Wine is of course my go-to beverage of choice for grilling cuisine. Many chose to move away from heavier reds in the summer time, yet grilling often entails red meat and BBQ, both ideal for hearty red wines. However, grilling is diverse and when enjoyed a cedar plank salmon, chicken, or hot dogs, a crisp white wine or rosé is perfect to beat the summer heat! This month Camilla of Culinary Adventures of Camilla is leading our #WinePW group back to our roots. It all began 3 years ago when David of Cooking Chat spawned #WinePW and kicked it off with grilled meats and wine. Camilla has expanded this month’s topic to include anything grilled and wine. I am certain there will be a lot of creative offerings so please visit each article below.

My grilling selection is way past due. I received two media samples in late January from Silverado. Through all my wine travels and virtual tastings I had not been attentive to these wines. Upon receiving the call to grill I knew these two Napa Valley Cabs would be perfectly paired with the grill. The pairing turned out delicious, but first about the wines.

Silverado Vineyards is a widely known Napa Valley winery. They were founded in 1981 by Diane Disney Miller and Ron Miller. They are a Stag’s Leap District pioneer who to this day are one of the few Napa Valley wineries whose entire portfolio is grown, produced, and bottled by the winery. Silverado has a large portfolio of wines, many of which are widely distributed and easy to find, while a handful are more exclusive to the winery or specialty wine retailers. Silverado cares about being good neighbors as much as they care about crafting good wine. Therefore, 100% of their estate is sustainably farmed, 15% is farmed organic, 70% is certified Napa Green, 50% is preserved in the Land Trust exclusively for open space and agriculture, and 50% of the winery is solar powered. However, these steps are just the start for Silverado as they seek to further improve.

2013 Silverado Vineyards GEO Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley USA ($75): Crafted of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Petit Verdot; poured a deep ruby in the glass; aromas were youthful and pronounced, consisting of dried violets, red currant, blackberry, plum, cranberry that were all stewed and slightly candied, white pepper, lavender, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, juniper, smoke, leather, milk chocolate, forest floor, and fresh tobacco; it was round and silky smooth on the palate with youthful yet integrated tannins and medium+ acidity, it was well-balanced with a good structure, a sexy full-body wine that coated the palate in a long, sultry finish; it was very true NV style with layers of flavors and aromas and a silky mouth-feel, a wine that can easily age a decade or more yet after a 2 hour decant drank effortlessly. GEO is Silverado’s play on words, the Greek root for “earth” and also short for “George” giving nod to the Mt George Vineyard and its volcanic soil where the grapes are grown. It was rich, decadent, and modern, a crowd pleasing wine.

2013 Silverado Vineyards SOLO Cabernet Sauvignon Silverado Vineyards Stag’s Leap District Napa Valley USA ($125): Crafted of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon of the Disney Silverado Heritage Clone; poured deep ruby with garnet hues and high viscosity into the glass; pronounced youthful aromas of baked red plums, blackberries, currants, baking spices, medicinal, black currant leaf, eucalyptus, green olive, smoke, espresso, dark chocolate, leather, ground tobacco, and vanilla; round on the palate with silky youthful medium+ tannins and pronounced acidity, full and plush on the palate, well-balanced, elegant and powerful wine with a long dusty earth finish, another crowd pleaser yet offered more restraint that GEO after a 2 hour decant, slightly more rustic and elegant, shame to open so soon.

I knew these two Silverado Vineyard wines would be big mama jamas and pair perfectly with steak! Furthermore, I found a rub recipe I had been waiting to try. #WinePW grilling and wine offered the perfect opportunity to open these two Silverado beauties and pair with coffee rubbed fillets, baked potato, and grilled artichoke. The rub contained ground espresso, ancho chili powder (I would half this next time), brown sugar, paprika, dried mustard, coriander, oregano, and ginger. It was dynamite, and of course the wines could stand up to such a stout rub on a steak, in fact they beg for it. The rustic nature of the grilled artichokes with butter and parmesan cheese and the potato topped with sour cream not only evened out the meal but allowed the palate a fatty rest in between the steak and wine. Add a cool evening and dining al fresco and it was a wonderful evening with Silverado Vineyards as the star. I do not drink a lot of Napa Valley Cabs, they are often too rich and powerful for my old world palate; however, this was the right food pairing and would not have called for anything less.

Here are some more mouth-watering grilling and wine pairings to enjoy over the summer:

• Cindy at Grape Experiences is All Fired Up! Light the Grill and Pour Troon Wines
• David of Cooking Chat will be posting Grilled Steak and Onions
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator is sharing On Grill: Salmon, Squash, Stone Fruit; In Glass: Square Peg Pinot Noir x2
• Jeff of FoodWineClick will write about Summer Wines With Memphis Style
  Slow Smoked Ribs
• Jill of L’occasion plans Wine for A Summer Cookout
• Julie at Wine-n-Friends will be pairing Smoked Pork and Tempranillo: An evening with friends #winePW
• Mary at Vindulge has joined us for the first time with Smoked Beef Short Ribs, Wine Braise 
• Nancy at Pull That Cork will share Grilled Chicken and Rosé for #winePW
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm will be pairing Raspberry/Mango Glazed Ham Steaks with Edna Valley Pinot Noir
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla – have planned Grilled Octopus and Potato Salad with a Pet Nat

Please join us this morning at 10CST on Twitter to share your thoughts and recipes on summer grilling and wine pairings.

My Song Selection: These wines were dark, bold, and full of flavor.

Get your own bottle of Silverado wines and let me know what song you pair with them. Cheers!