Remember when pork was dubbed “the other white meat,” an oblique nod to chicken (breast, to get particular)? The marketing point was that pork (tenderloin, to get particular) was just as flexible with sauces and flavorings — and wine. True, to a point, and with both meats. But a wine doesn’t care what meat you start with; it cares how you treat what you start with. A cream sauce or a mustard glaze or a fruit salsa, each calls for a different wine. Here, it’s different; it’s pretty much just the meat that’s talking. Lots of flexibility, then.
The food: Pork and red pepper kebabs
Place 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb., cut into 1-inch cubes, in a large bowl; add 2 tsp. hot paprika, 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Cut 2 red bell peppers into 1-inch pieces. Alternate threading pork and red pepper pieces on skewers. Broil or grill kebabs until pork is cooked through, turning once, about 5 minutes. Serve over couscous garnished with chopped cilantro.
Recipe by Carol Mighton Haddix
The wines
2012 Alpha Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Amyndeon, Florina, Greece: Greeks don’t usually traffic in the non-native grape, but this is delicious sauvignon, made by a top-class winery; lees aging adds creamy texture; no stinting on the citrus. $18-$20
2011 Trust Cellars Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington: Great aromatics (lime, minerals, cut Honeycrisp apple) with a smidgen of sugar that will nicely accompany cooked vegetables. $17
2011 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage “La Petite Ruche,” Rhone, France: All syrah, on the accessible side; mildly tannic, effusively fruity, round and rich; black cherry with grace notes of anise and earth. $25
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