Wine Club 61: Pork, Bacon & Bonuses!

Date: January 25th, 2014
Host: Kim
Served: Honey-Soy-Roasted Pork, Quinoa and Bacon Salad, green beans with toasted almonds
Bonus bottles: a trio of Italian reds from Waterford Wine Company

La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV (Spain) 70% Xarello + 30% Parellada, 11.5% alcohol, $6 at Trader Joe's

Kim says (17): What hit me right away was the strong aroma of pear and honey, as well as something else that was familiar to me... something I'd come across in another varietal but can't quite put a finger on. I'll figure it out eventually! Anyway, really enjoyed this... light and fun. Definitely stopping by Trader Joe's to pick up a bottle (or two)!

Christine says (16.5): Very pale lemon color. Smelled like lemon and pear. Kim also picked up honey and Andrea, green apples, and I agreed. Nice palate-cleansing bubbles, medium finish with minerals. It was good with the meal and stood up well to the flavorful, slightly sweet pork. This wine had a good quality-to-price ratio (QPR).

Andrea says (14.5): A nice frizzante Cava with a very light, clear color. It smelled crisp and clean, green apple, apricot, and honey. Nice mouth feel. Light, tart, slight mineral taste. Bubbles all the way across the tongue. I could really taste the green apple and honey. Good with pairing with the honey in the pork.

Contadino Pinot Grigio 2012 (Italy) 12% alcohol, $5 at Trader Joe's

Kim says (11): At first I picked up English toffee. Upon my next smell, musty basement. Next smell, I detected apple peels. Next time... well, you get the idea. Each time, the smell had morphed into something drastically different. What I found interesting was that these aromas were not layered... I did not smell them all at once, like English toffee and a hint of musty basement underneath. The smells were singular and separate... and I am glad I missed the paint thinner that Christine smelled!

Christine says (8.5): Lots of small bubbles in this wine--looked like fun! Very, very pale, like water. Smelled like paint thinner: ick! In the crazy glass, I also smelled white grapes. The taste was nice, had a light body, tasted like green apples and the oil from lemon peel. The meal overwhelmed it. And the smell was unforgivable.

Andrea says (16.5): I really liked this wine! Also a very clear wine, pale lemon in color. Very fragrant - vanilla, floral, grape. Yes, I could also smell the chemical-paint thinner smell, but I didn't find it overwhelming. Mostly I smelled cream soda and powdered sugar. Light flavor, but again, I liked it - honey, white grape, lemon and pineapple with a little bit of mineral flavor. 

I had never done a roast before but my friend Robert does pork roasts regularly so he kindly came over and we did a practice run. The finished product was very dry, which we both agreed was the fault of the specific piece of meat I had selected. As a result, I wanted to make sure there was plenty of gravy or sauce to accompany the pork roast when I hosted Wine Club, and I came across this recipe from Food & Wine magazine. Since there were several variables between the recipe and what I would actually be serving, I partially incorporated Robert's instructions and the finished product was (I believe) fabulous!
     • Used loin roast rather than shoulder roast
     • Skipped the braised veggies
     • I placed the roasting pan on the 2nd rack from the bottom, and did use the rack that it came with
     • Roasted at 350°F for 20 minutes per pound until thermometer read 160°F
     • In my paranoia, I made double the basting glaze
     • Whole Foods does carry veal demiglace but they happened to be out of stock. Both Sendik's and The Fresh Market also carry it (although it is made from veal+beef stock)

Christine says: I scored some fun, highly drinkable Italian reds at a recent Waterford staff training, and they came along to Wine Club. The highlight was the Sagrantino, an inky-black red that leans pricey because the very small grapes are difficult to harvest. So yum. I was doing a financial fast at the time, and the Trader Joe's wines were ones I already had at home. I felt good being able to up my game by bringing along these wines!