Helen McGinn

Wine writer and broadcaster Helen McGinn chooses her wine before her food, but that might be changing as her passion for barbecue ignites. RUPERT BATES reports.

Maybe it’s a British thing, or a BBQ thing – or both. For invariably the grill is already in the skip by the time thoughts turn to a replacement. But, now, with so many barbecues to choose from in an outdoor cooking world getting bigger and better by the day, panic sets in. So much choice, so little time.

Helen McGinn admits that for years she ‘relied’ on cheap BBQs purchased from DIY stores. “We used them until they fell apart.”

Fortunately, wine expert McGinn often shares the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen table with presenter and chef Matt Tebbutt, who overhearing the collapse of her latest grill, said it was time to up her game and pointed her towards a Monolith ceramic kamado.

“We got our Monolith last year and I am not exaggerating when I say it has changed our lives,” says McGinn. “I’ve always loved a BBQ, but previously it was never about the food. It was about the people around the table and feeding our big New Forest family. Of course, it is still about the people too, but I’ve now realised with the right equipment, it simply doesn’t have to be so stressful.”

When the Monolith Avantgarde first arrived at her Hampshire home, McGinn just stared at it. “It looked as if a spaceship had landed in the garden overnight – a thing of beauty we were too scared to use.”

Tebbutt urged her to fire it up, give it a try and not to worry about the results. “Last summer we cooked everything on it, both during the week and at weekends. It’s a revelation and a realisation that not everything has to be burnt, if you learn how to control the heat.”

Sausages and burgers were the staples on previous grills; anything more adventurous rarely considered “especially if you were worried the bottom of the BBQ might collapse at any minute!” A Monolith plancha was purchased, leading to ‘the summer of smash burgers’ inspired by appearances of Murf from The Beefy Boys on Saturday Kitchen.

“We cooked a big turkey in the Monolith on Christmas Day and just love the versatility and, once we got used to it, the ease of use, understanding temperature.”

Spatchcock chicken has been added to the family repertoire, while McGinn’s marinated butterflied leg of lamb is now a go-to on the grill. “Yoghurt, herbs and spices for the marinade and serve the lamb with crushed new potatoes and salad.”

Matt Tebbutt might have to watch his back at this rate if her culinary curve continues upwards. McGinn is pretty good at selecting the wine to go with the barbecue too.  “Actually, I usually start with the wine! I decide what we’re going to drink and then work backwards from there in terms of the food.”

The beating of chests and the primeval roar of red meat suggests nothing less than a heavyweight red will do to pair with a barbecue. McGinn quickly explodes that myth.

“I’ll always have a red open, but I’d put a rosé on the table too. Rosé works with red meat but crucially adds that spring/summer vibe. I can also guarantee you that once someone starts drinking rosé, others follow.

“On Saturday Kitchen Matt rolls his eyes, as I am often suggesting rosé, but it is genuinely one of the most food-friendly styles of wines – fresh and crisp, but they have flavour and guts too. They can work with most foods and handle spice much better than some wines.”

If there are steaks on the grill and red is your preference, go juicy, rather than too austere, she says.  “I find that most people know what wine they like, but don’t necessarily have the vocabulary. You know, for instance with white wines, if you prefer a lighter, crisper wine, or a richer, riper one.”

So, in summary Helen, when it comes to pairing wine with a barbecue, it is red, white or rosé? “All three – it is me after all!”  Don’t forget sparkling wine too, as we talk Hampshire and Sussex viticulture and other homegrown talents, perfect hors d’oeuvres and beyond for BBQ pairings.

“It is great to see the growing English wine industry. We are really appreciating what is on our doorstep and supporting local producers.”
Just as you’d feel nervous if a professional chef was coming round for dinner, be it inside or out, McGinn says people will bring a bottle to her house and hand it over with the caveat ‘it’s probably not very good!’

But McGinn’s background as a supermarket wine buyer for many years means she can spot value from a thousand (vine) yards. “I have travelled all around the world sourcing wines. Of course, I love fine wine and would never say no to an expensive bottle, but those are not the wines I would necessarily suggest, buy or serve. There is so much good stuff to be found if you know where and how to look.”

As with food and fashion, spend what you can afford, but bear in mind where it comes from. Wine provenance is just as important.

“If you buy wine in a supermarket, remember a team of professional people have sourced that wine and it has to be of a certain quality to get onto the shelves.

Too cheap can be a false economy and, like cheap clothes, probably means someone in the supply chain has not been paid properly, and it won’t be the retailer,” says McGinn.  “Generally speaking, after a certain price point, and after duty, VAT, shipping and labelling costs – every extra pound you spend goes into what goes into the bottle.”

A wine aisle journey is often quite predictable, says McGinn. Colour preference, then the country you’re comfortable with, followed by the price prepared to pay.  We are more adventurous in this country when it comes to scanning the labels of the world and “not sticking to the same old Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot”.

“People are much braver, trying grapes from countries they might not have heard of in terms of wine production. There are some wonderful hidden regions and grapes with great value wines.”

She says part of her job is to give people reasons and confidence to try wines they have not tried before, but reference and compare them with wines they do know. “The stories behind the wines are so important and appealing too.”

As well as her television work, McGinn is a leading international wine judge and has worked with regular BBQ magazine writers Roger Jones and Andy Clarke.  The wine blog she started when she left the world of supermarket buying led to The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club and then onto the publication of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Guide.

“It all started when friends – and knackered mothers – rang in panic from the wine aisle asking what to buy. This was before social media took off.” She is adamant it will be her only wine book, despite the pleas of her publisher. “I always just wanted to write the one book that helps you get started and how to navigate a wine aisle and a wine list. They are so many other brilliant books out there that go into far more detail.”

Next was fiction, which may contain wine, and her fifth book Under a Riviera Moon is out now and set in a Provençal vineyard.  “I always harboured a secret desire to write fiction – the sort of book you want to read while lying in a beautiful place on holiday, and, yes, wine is usually involved!”

McGinn says fermentation is “nature’s greatest party trick”.  “I love the fact that wine is never just about what’s in the glass. It is about sitting around a table with family, friends and food, sharing stories. Everything tastes better when you’re in good company and everything tastes better outside.”

Growing in culinary confidence, McGinn might try and fight Tebbutt for the tongs at a Monolith BBQ party, but I know who I want choosing the wines.

Saturday Outdoor Kitchen anyone?