Pairings: Which Wine Goes With Swine

By Evan Elliot

The Year of the Pig may be over, but pork is still a star, with local restaurants serving up everything from shoulders and bellies to cheeks and ears—cured, grilled, smoked, braised, roasted, and fried.

But which wine should you drink with pork? That depends on what you cook...and whom you ask.

At Quince, when chef Michael Tusk serves seared pork tenderloin in a polenta-and-rosemary crust with black cabbage and zolfino bean sauce, sommelier Christie Dufault suggests Calera Wine Company’s Ryan Vineyard 2004 Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir. The wine’s earthiness matches all the components of the dish, says Dufault, “and it’s balanced and silky, not overly ripe or extracted.”

At A16, where the staff refers to pork as “Vitamin P,” wine director Shelley Lindgren suggests pairing Benito Ferrara ‘Viga Cicogna’ Greco di Tufo with chef Nate Appleman’s house-cured salumi. The wine, a Campania white made from Greco Bianco grapes that hang a bit longer than most, shows a hint of sweetness that counterbalances the earthy flavors of coppa di testa (head cheese) and a bright acidity that cleans the palate after the rich velvet of pork-liver terrina. As for a red wine with pork chops, Lindgren suggests Masseria Felicia ‘Ariapetrina’ Felerno del Massico. Campania wines often pair well with pork, says Lindgren, because “the volcanic soils so important for the Campania grapes complement the smoky-earth qualities of pork, and the juicy, dark fruits bring out the sweet and briny character of the chops.”

Wine merchants have opinions too, of course. For porchetta— roasted pig seasoned with salt, garlic, lemon, rosemary and fennel— Mark Congero of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant in Berkeley recommends a Châteauneuf-du-Pape “with some age on it,” such as a 5- to 10-year-old Domaine Charbonnière. An older Grenache-based wine goes beautifully with the pork, says Congero, because the fruit is soft and refined, and the body is medium rather than heavy. For roast pork loin with cabbage, apples, and fried potatoes, Congero suggests a 2005 Riesling from Domaine Ostertag or a 2005 Gewurztraminer from Keuntz-Bas: “Alsatians work well with this dish because the residual sugar complements the apples, and the acidity is fresh and lively.”

For barbecued ribs with a spicy tomato-and-vinegar sauce, Dagan Ministero of Terroir Natural Wine Merchant in San Francisco says that a Spatlese Riesling, such as Wittman, can douse the fire as well as most beers do. He also recommends the 2005 Les Paradetes, an unfiltered Spanish Grenache/ Sumol blend imported by Jenny & Francois Selections, whose abundant fruit counters the acid in the sauce.

If there’s any consensus here, it’s don’t overpower your pig. And, as always, keep your mind open. Mark Congero says that a minerally Chardonnay, like a 2004 Saint Véran, works well with pork shoulder braised in lemon and milk. “The citrus flavors match the lemon and the great weight and body match the milk curds. Trust me: it’s delicious.”

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