Wine Pairing - Côtes de Porc Sauce Nénette

I am banking on Nénette behaving and trying her very best to get along with her cousins from the south of France, les Tomates à la Provençale. The porc, on the other hand, I don't worry about. Well behaved and consistently comes in a winner everytime in my book. The selection of wines are, for the most part, medium bodied so that one does not outshine the other. Granted, I had given some thought to a nice Rose from Provence which would of course have paired well with the tomatoes and I may yet shift in that direction but too early to tell, though shifting away from a Cotes du Rhone is a difficult thing to do. I have also suggested a couple of wines from Spain and Portugal because it seemed to be appropriate for this combination; I was thinking grilled chops, flavorful sauces and baked tomatoes and garlic and that had me meandering across the Spanish border. Last but not least, I threw in a "sleeper" from the Western Cape. Let the celebrations begin mes amis!

Les Vins de Sélection



Pinot Noir is versatile enough to bring out the best in a mustard sauce just as long as you don't go crazy with the English mustard then and make it overpowering.

Côtes du Rhône Villages will have just enough acidity and a peppery character to handle Nénette well.

Think Iberian Penninsula and add a little Spanish flavor to the dish which should pair beautifully with a fine Spanish Crianza red or from the Ribera del Duero region or you can continue your travels and choose a Portuguese red from Extremadura.

A good California Zinfandel will aslo work well with Nénette who can be a bit tempermental. A "Seven Deadly Zins" for example will hold up to the distinctive flavor of fresh basil, and won't get lost in the shuffle.