White wines for pork

As a leg roast was slowly yeilding its luscious flavours in the oven one Sunday afternoon, Oliver and I fell to wondering what kind of a bottle we should be opening to do it justice.

Later that evening, I sent a text message to our friend Anthony. If ever there was a man deeply embedded in the international wine scene, it’s Anthony. He proved to be quicker and much more informative than the Web, and sent us back a most erudite text. Here are his suggestions for white wines to go with pork.

A white with tannin, such as Marsanne …

A quick look at the internet to fill out the detail tells us that Marsanne is a one of the world’s rarest grape varieties, originating from the Rhone. It has a deep coloured juice with low acidity, and tends to have bright fruit flavour, such as honeysuckle, pineapple and pronounced almond aromatics. In Australia, it’s particularly good in the McLaren Vale, Goulburn and Yarra Valley. Some of the world’s oldest Marsanne vines are to be found in Central Victoria. It has high levels of alcohol, so after a heritage pork roast and a few glasses of Marsanne, you’ll be feeling very satisfied indeed.

 … or some Pinot Gris

While not a wine buff, I think I’m right in saying that Tasmania is increasingly respected for its cool climate wines such as Pinot Gris, and I can’t help but give a plug to our local vineyard, Holm Oak, who are winning lots of prizes with theirs.

We had neither a Marsanne nor a Pinot Gris, and Anthony would probably be horrified by what we do drink, indeed he’s told me as much. A weekday tipple for us is undoubtedly something he uses to flush out his car radiator. But we intend to work our way through his suggestions.

Coming soon, Anthony's recommendation for reds with pork...