Wine & North Carolina Barbecue

Admittedly I have left the most challenging style, wine wise, for the final missive, on American Barbecue styles, that being North Carolina.  This style of barbecue is set apart form other styles for a couple of distinct reasons.

• North Carolina Barbecue is all about pork, predominantly either pork shoulder or whole hog served chopped or "pulled".
• the sauce is vinegar based and can range from mild to very spicy.

North Carolina barbecue actually has a sub set known as West North Carolina, wherein a little ketchup is added to the traditional vinegar-based sauce.

The biggest challenge here is the sauce; vinegar is essentially a wine, beer or hard-cider in which the alcohol has been converted by bacteria to acetic acid.  In a sense we are trying to pair wine and or beer with soured wine or beer!

We will leave beer to other bloggers. The challenge here is wine and vinegar.  Overall, the best wine to pair with North Carolina barbecue will be one that has retained a good portion of its natural acidity.  Two predominant  factors determine the acidity of a wine:

• its growth climate 
• when the grapes are harvested.

With climate, the cooler the better. As a grape ripens on the vine it develops more sugars, while at the same time, the acidity diminishes. The cooler the climate, where the grapes are grown, the higher the level of natural acidity that will remain in the wine.  With time of harvest, the sooner the better. Again, if the grapes are allowed extended hang time on the vine, the acidity will naturally decrease, as additional sugars are produced.

Golden Grape Estates Australian Blend

This next bit of news may be hard to swallow, but overall the 'fruit forward' expression, favored by most New World wine producers, requires an extended 'hang time' to accomplish. Essentially, what the winemaker is doing is picking 'late harvested' grapes, but rather than produce a dessert style of wine, they ferment the wine to dryness.  This is why so many wines from North and South America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa tend to have a higher alcohol content than wines produced in a more traditional European style.

When looking for red wines to pair with North Carolina barbecue, start in Italy.  Not only do the Italian wine makers prefer to harvest their wines at peak ripeness, as opposed to over-ripeness, but some of the native grapes of Italy also tend to have higher levels of natural acidity to start with. Red grape wines to look for are Chianti, made predominantly from the Sangiovese grape, Barolo and Barbaresco made from the Nebiolo grape.

In addition, wine with the name Barbera on the label, which is the name of the grape used to make the wine, will give you the acidic balance you will want. Outside of Italy your next best bet will be France, particularly Bordeaux, Burgundy and the northern Rhone Valley. Wines from these areas are grown in cooler climates and harvested ripe, with more acidity, to improve their ability to cellar for extended periods of time.

And now for something completely different: as pork has been touted in the media as "the other white meat", there is plenty of justification to pour a white wine with your chopped pork plate. In addition white grapes, as a rule, have a higher level of natural acidity. This also opens up the opportunity to purchase wines from the New World that you may be more familiar with. At the top of the list would be Sauvignon Blanc, a wine with a great crisp acidic character. Also Pinot Grigio, also known as Pinot Gris in the New World.

If you can find an Italian wine made from the Cortese grape, you won't be disappointed.  Last but certainly not least, the Riesling grape has the highest level of natural acidity, that I am aware of. Here you have two options:

• the traditionally semi-sweet German style easily found in most areas - this would be my first choice if the accompanying sauce offers a little 'heat' in its profile.  
• Second is a dry Riesling -  although not as easy to find these wines are a real eye-opener to those who have never tasted one.  Australia has a long tradition of making this style of Riesling and they are quite skilled at it. You may also find some dry Riesling wine from Washington state and possibly the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Well if you have read this far I want to thank you for your time. As always, look for recipes and barbecue tips at The Smokin' BBQ Pit where my buddy Bubba Q really knows his stuff.

If you have specific questions for me just email me at Pat 'the wine guy".

Remember: the difference between eating and dining is a glass of wine. Enjoy one today.