Pigs & Pinot at Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Kitchen this past weekend raised more than $150,000 for local charities and Share Our Strength by celebrating the duo.
So what is it that makes this pairing so compelling, not to mention profitable?
The experts say it can be pared down to one reason: range.
The styles of pinot noir are virtually countless but asked to describe the scope of it, vintner Daryl Groom gave it a go.
“Styles for pinot are from light, to medium body, to full and plush. They range from structural and minerality, to earthy and forest floor, to funky and gamey, to fruit driven ranging from red fruits to rich dark fruit. We see low oak styles fruit predominant, to quite heavy oaked styles.”
Pork is equally diverse, as chef Charlie Palmer points out with his delectable list.
- Pulled suckling Berkshire pork on cheddar biscuits
- Black pig pork shoulder paella
- Pork paté mangalitsa
- Pork belly oak smoked duroc pork belly over cannellini beans
- Porchetta devil’s gulch suckling porchetta
- 48 hour cured pork pozole (shoulder)
- Confit of duroc pork trotters
- Smoked pork belly consommé with hand cut semolina noodles
- Mangalitsa smoked corndog, chicharron
- Puerto Rican spiced Berkshire pork shoulder tacos
- St. Lewis cured mortadella muffaletta
- Steven’s Ranch Mangalitsa Pork Head Rillette
- Duroc Pig Lardo, Pork Sugo Cavatelli Pasta
- Crispy Pig’s Ear over Ricotta Gnocchi
- 48 hour braised Mangalitsa pork loin with carmalized onion stew
- Trotters Oak Smoked Pork Cheek Dumplings, spring onions
- Double smoked hobbs bacon and confit tomato sliders
- Fra’ mani artisan pepperoni and torpedo onion flat bread
- 24-hour “quick cure” Berkshire Hams with green onion soubise
- Devil’s Gulch Suckling Pork Ribs with Sierra Mole
- Fra’ mani artisan pepperoni and torpedo onion flat bread
- 24-hour “quick cure” fresh Berkshire Hams with Green Onion Soubise
- Devil’s Gulch Suckling Pork Ribs with Sierra Mole
In a nutshell, if someone asks you why the lovefest between pork and pinot, now you know the simple answer: range.