Wine Pairing...Sauvignion Blanc and Pulled Pork with Beet Salad

We’ve started to experiment with trying wine with food that you might not normally pair with wine. Recently, I tried wine with Buffalo Wings to great success. This week, I decided to make some pulled pork, and we made a quick run to the wine store to see what might work with it.

Asian Pulled Pork Recipe: 
1 tbsp Cardamom pods
1 tsp Paprika
2 tbsp dried Star Anise
1 tsp Chili Pepper
1 lb Pork Shoulder
2 Fresh Jalepeno peppers, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a spice grinder, mix and grind the spices thoroughly. Coat both sides of the pork shoulder with the spice mixture, then cook in a crock pot on low heat until tender, 4-6 hours. Serve on thick sliced bread. Serve with a warm beet salad.

Warm Beet Salad: 
4 small Beets, sliced thin
1 tbsp Scallions, sliced
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Butter
Lettuce
8 oz Goat Cheese

In a sauté pan, melt the butter, then add the beets, scallions, and lemon juice, and sauté until tender. Drain, then add the beets to a bed of lettuce and top with goat cheese.

We paired this with a Sancerre from France, a crisp white with hints of flowers, minerality, and spices. The minerality of the wine went well with the natural earthy flavors of the beets. According to Tina, with the pork, the wine “makes the spice go ‘bang’”. The floral notes popped against the smell of the seasonings, especially the anise. The flavors of the wine were strong enough to make a good pairing with the dinner, which was a fun discovery, considering that pulled pork is not usually paired with this sort of French wine.