National BBQ Month - Celebrate with Austrian Wine!

Celebrate national BBQ month this month with some traditional cuisine and wines from Austria!

Instead of plopping some hot dogs on the grill this weekend, why not try am Austrian bratwurst? Sure you might think Oktoberfest when you think bratwurst, but really this is a delicacy that can be enjoyed all year round!

Ingredients for "Austrian Bratwurst"

1 cup fresh Breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons Salt
2 Eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon ground Marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground Cardamom
1 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1 teaspoon White Pepper
3 lbs ground Pork, 35% fat
1 drop Lemon Oil
3/4 cup Milk
1 medium Sausage Casing, prepared

Method of cooking "Austrian Bratwurst"

Combine spices and bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly. Mix milk, beaten eggs and oil of lemon together. Thoroughly mix bread crumb mix with the ground pork being careful not to have any"hot spots" This can be done by hand but a heavy duty stand mixer makes it a lot easier. Pour liquid over the meat mix and let sit about 10 minutes. Then mix. Loosely stuff medium sausage casings and tie off in 5 inch lengths. Grill until thoroughly cooked.

But what is a grilling party without a little wine? In my opinion it just isn't the same.

For this venture we opted to try the Anita Hans Nittnaus Pannobile 2006 a blend of 70% Zwigelt and 30% Blaufrankisch from the Burgenland. The deep earthy cherry flavors that come through on the nose were enough to alert us that this was going to be a delightful wine. On the palate the soft tannin and good fruit balance compliments the salty character of the bratwurst and brought out the natural charcoal flavors. Overall a great pairing - just as we expected.