The best red wine for your Fourth of July burger

A zinfandel with roaring red fruit - pomegranate and raspberry - is the clear winner of the Press Democrat’s Hamburger Reds wine tasting. The Bogle Vineyards 2013 California Old Vine Zinfandel at $11 was the standout, the tangy zin that could stand up to a burger, even an exotic one.

The wines in the tasting were paired with a burger extraordinaire, a half-pound patty of grass-fed beef layered with Valley Ford Highway 1 cheese, caramelized onions and a roasted garlic aioli - all sandwiched between halves of a brioche bun.

In wine and food pairing, the flavor of the wine either mirrors or contrasts with the food. With such a complicated burger, it would be quite a feat for a wine to mirror all the flavors. But the Bogle zin contrasted the flavors with ease.

Eric Aafedt, Bogle’s director of winemaking, wasn’t surprised his zin fared well.

“I think our zinfandel has the structure to hold up to a savory burger while having enough restraint to take on a little spice without showing too much heat on the finish,” Aafedt said.

Other tasty burger matches in the flight include:

Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2012 Calatayud, Spain, Garnacha, 14.5 percent, $14. This garnacha works well with the burger because of its bright fruit and crisp acid.

Loring Wine Co. 2013 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, 14.3 percent, $32. This striking pinot is an irresistible burger match because it screams Bing cherry, countering the burger’s rich juices.

Layer Cake 2013 Central Coast California Pinot Noir, ?14.5 percent, $16. This is a tasty burger match, but it also works solo. It has tasty fruit and notes of licorice in the mix.

For vegetarians who prefer a portabella burger, the red wine that paired best in the tasting is the Quivira 2012 Elusive Rhone Red at $34.

It’s not surprising this Rhone blend edged out the others. It fits the profile of a bright red wine with robust acid, one that has the spunk to counter a juicy burger. The Rhone red is 65 percent grenache, ?15 percent mourvedre and 20 percent syrah.

Whether you’re a carnivore or a vegetarian, we’ve done the trial run. Now you can find your way to the tastiest bottle to uncork for the Fourth of July festivities.