Few things go better together than summer, a grill, and sausage. The challenge is selecting a wine to go with your wurst.

When most people think of sausage and drink they think of beer. Yet, many of us don’t like beer and search for the perfect wine pairing. Whether your preference is for Italian sausage, bratwurst, or kielbasa there is a wine that will go with it. With over 1,000 types of sausages to choose from the characteristics will vary and the type of wine to drink with each of them can be different. The trick is to pair the food and wine based upon the featured flavors.

A good beginning is to stay within national boundaries. After a volksmarch on a summer day, few things tasted better than a bratwurst and glass of German Riesling. A light, fizzy Lambrusco matches naturally with hot Italian sausage. When serving lamb sausages I often open a bottle of Pinot Noir. Just be careful that you don’t put over oaky wines with light flavored sausages.

Here are some pairing suggestions. Working with this list you can mix and match flavors with other types of sausage. How you cook the sausage will change the flavor enough to change the type of wine needed. So, remember the list is made of suggestions, not absolutes.

Sweet Italian Sausage

• Chianti Classico
• Medium-body Zinfandel

Hot Italian Sausage

• Lambrusco
• Red Rioja

Bratwurst

• German Riesling
• Non-Oak Chardonnay

Lamb and Mint Sausage

• Pinot Noir
• Zinfandel

Smoked Wurst (The type that look like American hot dogs)

• Beaujolais
• Pinot Noir

Kielbasa

• Provençal Rosé
• Pinot Grigio