Zesty wines for pork in a shallot-wine sauce

Lifestyles
By Bill St. John
March 3, 2015
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This recipe nicely reminds us not to focus on what’s underneath the sauce when pairing with wine, but to check out the sauce itself. Too often we attend to the base when searching for an appropriate wine (“white with white, red with red,” for example). But the preparation, if it adds significant salt, acidity, fat or sweetness (the latter here), makes all the difference when choosing a wine. So, with this other white meat dish, it’s not just a white wine that works, but a sort of white (or even light red) that will: zesty, low alcohol, maybe ever-so-slightly sweet.

Pork Tenderloin with Merlot-Shallot Sauce

Coat 2 pork tenderloins with 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil; rub with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary. Season with salt. Heat an oven-safe skillet over high heat. Cook pork, turning, until browned, 5 minutes. Transfer to 350-degree oven; roast to 140 degrees, about 10 minutes. Transfer pork to platter. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil in same skillet. Saute 4 minced shallots until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Deglaze skillet with 1 cup merlot or other red wine. Stir in 1 tablespoon chicken stock concentrate and 2 tablespoons blackberry preserves. Adjust seasoning. Whisk in 2 tablespoons butter. Serve pork, sliced, with sauce. Makes: 4 servings

Recipe by Carol Mighton Haddix

The wines

• 2013 Seifried Estate Riesling, Nelson, New Zealand: Spiced green apple for fruit flavors, with a whisper of sugar and pretty notes of chamomile, lemon-lime and white flowers. $18

• 2011 Friedrich Becker Family Pinot Noir, Pfalz, Germany: Always a steal in pinot noir from Europe, for its spot-on cherry and earth aromas and flavors, delicate structure and fine closing acidity. $19

• 2013 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier, Napa Valley, Calif.: Carmen Miranda's hat in a bottle (you name the fruit, it's there), with just enough acidity for refreshing the palate between bites. $15

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About the Author

Bill St. John