Pig Pickin' Wine

[Dave the Cook]

Randall:

I'm not a wine geek, so I don't have a cool question about microstuff or barrels made from exceedingly rare wood, or anything involving the prefix "oen-." But I like wine, and I appreciate you spending some time with us. It's been fun and educational.

You might have noticed that Varmint, one of our moderators, has invited about 100 of his closest friends to his house in a week or so for a Pig Pickin'. (Don't be jealous, I'm sure he'd let you come.)

Beer is the usual choice here, but I can't drink beer. So I'm wondering: what's in your portfolio (or someone else's for that matter) that you'd recommend for smoky meat and starchy sides?

[Randall Grahm]

Dear Dave,

A good question but more information is needed. If this is barbecue we are talking about, how sweet is the sauce? How much vinegar. If it is just plain old pig, a great dry riesling might work very well, as would a fruity red. I think that it is sometimes useful to imagine the sort of condiments that you would like to serve with a particular dish and observe if there any of the taste elements that you might find in the proposed wine. If the sauce is at all spicy, I would tend to shy away from any wine that is too high in alcohol, as the alcohol, just tends to amplify the burn. In an altogether different matter, I am told that countries that consume a substantial amount of pork in their diet, tend to also enjoy a population of women who are exceptionally beautiful. Buon appetito!