Wine and pork: a pairing that promises plenty. If everything is good in the pig, you can imagine how many different food and wine matches you’ll be able to make. There are many recipes that use pork. So there are nearly as many pairings to play with.
What wine should you drink with pork?
There are lots of pairings you can make with pork. They depend on your recipe but also on how the meat is cooked and what’s on the side. That said, there are still some big principles for matching wine and pork.
First, pork is a delicate meat. So pick wines with tannins that have melted in and lovely fruit notes. As a general rule, you can lean toward a Beaujolais. You can also choose a Burgundy or a Rhône, as long as they’ve already aged a few years. If you want to drink a Bordeaux, you can. But you’ll need a wine that’s already well aged (at least 10 years). The tannins will have softened to make room for more roundness and fruit. Perfect to go with pork.
You can also pair pork with white wine. If so, head for a white with a lovely acidity. The white’s freshness will balance the meat’s richness for a very harmonious pairing. A Loire white will be your best ally with pork.
Learn to do food and wine pairings
Wine and pork roast
What wine to drink with a roast pork? A question that signals an excellent meal in the works. Roast pork doesn’t fall outside the conventional pairings we just laid out. So with a roast pork, we’d recommend a Beaujolais, a more evolved Burgundy or Rhône, or an aged Bordeaux.
Wine and pork: the pairings
As we said in the intro, there’s a huge variety of recipes based on pork. So there are many pairings you can play with.
- Wine and pork chop with mushrooms. For a pork chop with mushroom cream, you can choose wines with a bit more structure. A Bordeaux works beautifully with this delicious recipe.
- Wine and honey-glazed pork chop. With a honey-glazed pork chop, we’d warmly recommend leaning toward Burgundy or the Rhône. Wines with supple tannins and at the same time lovely structure will be perfect.
- Wine and pork chop with figs. With a pork chop with figs, head for the Loire, especially Touraine. For grapes, go for a Gamay and you can’t be disappointed.
- Wine and cold roast pork. With cold roast pork, you can lean toward a fresh rosé or a red with very supple tannins. The freshness and suppleness will let you enjoy the cold roast pork: a perfect match for hot summer days.
- Wine and pork escalope. With a pork escalope, choose supple, fruity wines. Beaujolais will be your best ally to enjoy this dish.
And there you have it, you know the pork pairings by heart. To learn how to do pairings yourself, you can join Le Club.
