See our top picks for that perfect wine to go with a juicy burger for Fourth of July

On the back patios across America, people celebrate the Fourth of July with a burger and a splash of red wine.

With an eye to the holiday, The Press Democrat organized its annual Hamburger Reds tasting to set you up with a lineup of wines to pair with juicy beef.

Eight wines were paired with a burger, from Phyllis’ Giant Burger restaurant in Santa Rosa’s Rincon Valley. The grilled 7-ounce patty was smothered in mushrooms and cheddar cheese.

While all eight wines showed well, our first-place winner is the Enotria, 2018 Barbera, Mendocino County, 13.5%, $23. Snagging second place is the Paul Mathew, 2021 Grenache, Russian River Valley, 13.9%, $38. Following close behind is third-place winner Saint Gregory, 2019 Pinot Noir, Mendocino County, 14.5%, $23.

These wines showed particularly well because they were tangy or rich and smoky, with enough acid to stand up to a burger's protein and fatty juices. (See the fact box with all our contenders.)

Vintner Greg Graziano said he believes his barbera snagged first place because the Italian varietal thrives in a maritime climate.

“Mendocino County has warm days and cool nights, which helps preserve the acidity in the wine,” said the winemaker of his namesake brand, Graziano Family of Wines.

Mat and Barb Gustafson, the co-vintners of Sebastopol’s Paul Mathew, said they weren’t surprised the grenache they crafted showed well with a burger, winning second place. The Rhone red, which originated in France’s Rhone River Valley, is well-known for being food-friendly, with its tangy red fruit and its crisp acid, they said.

“Mat made his first grenache in 2018, and we found it paired well with everything,” Barb said.

While the Decoy, 2021 Pinot Noir wasn’t a top winner in our lineup, it still showed well. Winemaker Dana Epperson credited its savory notes of forest floor and sage, coupled with its red and blue fruit.

“That (combination) makes it a great pairing with a juicy burger, charcuterie and any other savory barbeque favorite,” she said.

Priced at $23, the top-winning Enotria barbera is affordable for most budgets.

Considered the wine of the people, barbera is typically inexpensive in Italy and in America. Its origins are in the low slopes and valleys of northern Italy, and this variety has notes of dark cherry and dried strawberry, buoyed by crisp acidity.

Graziano said his barbera over-delivers for its price because he ages it for up to three years to give it complexity and a rich texture.

“We don’t like fruity, simple wines,” he said. “We like complex wines with rich, round flavors.”

The vintner said he can afford to sell his wine at this price point for three reasons. The first is he owns most of his vineyards. The second is that when he purchases fruit, Mendocino County grapes are less expensive than those in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Finally, Graziano consults for four other Mendocino County wineries and his fees factor into his operations, allowing him to offer modest pricing.

Graziano is a second-generation Italian American, and he said he often eats a burger with a side dish of pasta and chips and salsa.

“America has the greatest food culture in the world because we’re a land of immigrants,” Graziano said. “We’re the greatest country in the world because we’re a big melting pot … and (with all our dishes) we’re always going to be tasting a ton of wine on the Fourth of July.”

Graziano crafts five brands and produces 20,000 cases of wine yearly. He credits Italian Americans like himself for helping this country shape its wine culture with unique varietals like barbera.

The barbera, Graziano said, pairs particularly well with a burger topped with thick-cut beefsteak tomatoes, among other fixings.

“I like a hamburger with cheese, onion, avocado, bacon, lettuce and beefsteak tomatoes,” said Graziano, adding that for his homemade burger he relies on his garden to supply many of his ingredients. “I like a hamburger so tall you can barely get it in your mouth.”

You can reach wine writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.