So, what are we gonna drink? In my part of the South, it's almost always sweet tea, a cold-ass Coke, or domestic light beer with barbecue. But I want to sell you on wine as an equal—if not better—partner. If you're not a wine drinker, I'm speaking directly to you. If you already "get it," you know what's up.

I get it—wine has this connotation of being elitist, overpriced, and intimidating. I felt the same way until a senior trader sat me down at dinner one night in Charlotte, poured me a glass of 1998 Duckhorn Merlot, and told me, "Patrick, you're not drinking beer tonight." Something clicked. It was maybe the first time I understood you could drink alcohol for something greater than catching a buzz.

Here's the thing about whole-hog barbecue: it's rich, succulent, and slightly smoky, but we don't use a lot of intense rubs or sticky-sweet sauces. That makes it one of the most wine-friendly foods on the planet. Sparkling rosé against fatty pork? Just amazing. Dry Pinot Noir with pit-cooked ribs? A shot over the center field wall. Smoked chicken or turkey? Grab a Chenin Blanc or a Sauvignon Blanc. There are no wrong answers here.

In the past few years I've found myself gravitating toward what I call "Jesus wine"—naturally made wines using millennia-old techniques, without all the additives and stuff. Light-bodied, earthy reds. Funky whites. Rosé and orange wines. But that doesn't mean you need to like those things. The whole point is that there's a universe of wine out there that'll make any meal better—from fine dining to barbecue to a picnic with friends. Throw out the rules.

One last thing: please drink your wine at the right temperature. Whites and rosé out of the fridge for 10 minutes before you pour. Reds in the fridge for an hour before you drink. Only bubbles go ice cold.

If I haven't convinced you by now, I hope you enjoy your tea or your beer. I'll save a glass for you, just in case.

— Pat Martin, excerpted from Life of Fire