For those familiar with contemporary Southern culture, you know our lives are largely governed by The Four F's: faith, family, football, and food. These societal pillars form the foundation of our daily lives; this blog touches on them all, and how wine can be complementary to them (yes, wine and Christian faith can go together - there are actually several parallels...that's another blog).
This "Wine and Southern Cuisine" series focuses on the "food" pillar, and which wines pair best with the choicest of classic Southern dishes. For me, this MUST include pork. It could be a societal pillar all to itself...or at least a flying buttress to the food pillar. Needless to say, I dig pig. Bacon for breakfast, ham for lunch, cracklins for snack, and pork roast/shoulder/ribs/you name it for dinner. Ahhhh....heaven. And probably my favorite pork dish is good ol' barbecue ("BBQ" for finger endurance). Before we go any further, don't even try to bring your weak BBQ beef argument in here. Not even close (take that, Texas).
Whether it's pork sausage, pulled pork shoulder, or fall-of-the-bone babyback ribs, you just can't beat that smokey-sweet-spicy flavor. I prefer mine smoked with a Memphis-style dry rub, and then absolutely bathed in a thick, sweet and spicy, tomato-based sauce. I know different folks like their BBQ different ways, but this is my blog. Start your own if you want to pair wine with that weird "white" BBQ sauce from Carolina or some such.
Anyway, there are a few wines that I find pair well with BBQ pork. My two favorites are California Zinfandel and Riesling. With its jammy, bold fruit flavors, and spicy undertones, Zinfandel is a nice accompaniment to the smokey-sticky-spicy-sweet flavors of BBQ. Its oft-reasonable price tag also makes it a wine you don't mind popping open to wash down your pulled pork sandwich, or share en mass with friends at a backyard BBQ. I like to find Zins with at least a touch of acidity to balance out the fruit and refresh the palate between lip smackings and finger lickings. Some of my favorite easy-to-find Cali Zins include Bogle, Buehler, Cline, Four Vines, Ravenswood, Valley of the Moon, Kenwood, Frei Brothers, and Sebastiani. If you forced me to pick a fave from this lineup, I would probably choose Four Vines The Maverick Amador County. It is quite rustic and complex, with ripe fruit and zesty spice, but a lively streak of acidity to keep the clean, peppery finish going. For fifteen bucks, it's a lot of wine.
Riesling is also a nice match with BBQ pork and, although it is an entirely different type of wine, its strengths lend themselves to BBQ glory in a very similar way to Zins. Riesling is light and delicate, with crisp apple and pear and zippy acidity. However, the better Rieslings also contain smoke, mineral, and pepper characteristics that match especially well with smoked pork. I like to find a slightly sweet style (off-dry) to match the sweetness in BBQ sauce, freeing up the savory notes to run wild. A good, off-dry Riesling really makes dry-rubbed pork sing. Like Zin, Riesling has several good, affordable examples from which to choose. Some of my favorites that your local market or wine shop might carry include Chateau Ste. Michelle (off-dry), Pacific Rim, Kung Fu Girl, Firestone, Covey Run, Columbia, Trimbach, Dr. Loosen, and Yalumba. None of these will cost you more than an Andrew Jackson (a voracious BBQ eater himself, I'm sure).
So, go enjoy your swine with wine! And don't forget the wet naps...
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