Wine to try
2007 Kanta Riesling, Adelaide Hills, A$30
Suggesting a riesling to go with this recipe may sound a little bizarre, but it’s not. Think of Germany – what is their main meat? Pork. Their main grape variety? Riesling – and they often team the two. However, the style of Germanic riesling is quite different from Australia’s lean linear and fruit fresh approach. German rieslings are generally sweeter – ranging from those with a touch of residual sugar to off-dry styles, through kabinett to full on dessert wines. This shoulder of pork is soft and sweetly flavoured, calmed by the milk and lifted by the hint of spice. A bone-dry riesling would be too tart and acidic but the recommended Kanta reflects the philosophy of Egon Müller – one of Mosel’s great producers. The hands-on maker is our own Stephen Pannell, the wine full of bright fruit flavours of fresh limes and apricots, tamed by a minerally, wet river-pebble character and a delicious lemon sorbet finish. If you like the style of the Kanta, try the 2007 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Qualitats Riesling. It’s a gem. Alternatively, for a richer, more textured style of riesling head to the warmer Pflaz region of Germany. Top producers J.L. Wolf and Bürklin Wolf are both distributed here.

This recipe appeared in the April/May 2009 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.