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Mild meat, rich crackling, sweet apple sauce. The trimmings choose the wine.
Chenin Blanc or a dry Riesling for white; Pinot Noir or Beaujolais for red. Roast pork sits between chicken and beef, and it is happy with either colour.
The meat itself is mild and faintly sweet, so it rarely decides the pairing. What does is everything around it: the fat and salt in the crackling, the sweetness of apple sauce, the depth of the gravy, and which cut went into the oven.
Pork is fattier than chicken but has far less of the dense, iron-rich character of beef. It needs acidity to cut the fat, but it does not need tannin, and firm tannin has little to bind to in lean loin. That is why an unoaked or lightly oaked white is often the better bottle.
Chenin Blanc is the classic: high acidity, a waxy texture and apple and quince fruit that sit naturally beside pork. A dry Vouvray or a South African Chenin both work. Dry or just off-dry Riesling does the same job with more zing, and Alsace Riesling has the body for a proper Sunday roast.
For red, keep the tannin low and the fruit bright: Pinot Noir, a Beaujolais cru such as Morgon or Fleurie, or a soft Grenache.
Crackling is salt and fat, which is exactly what acidity and bubbles are for. A dry Crémant or a sharp Riesling cleans the palate after each crunchy bite.
Apple sauce is sweet, and sugar in food makes dry wine taste thin and sour. With plenty of it on the plate, move to an off-dry wine: a demi-sec Vouvray or a Riesling with a touch of sweetness.
Gravy pulls towards red. A rich, dark gravy with the roasting juices suits Pinot Noir or Grenache better than a white. Sage and onion stuffing is herbal and savoury, and sits comfortably with either.
Loin is the leanest roast and the easiest match for a white or a light red.
Shoulder, slow-roasted until it falls apart, is fattier and more savoury. It can take a fuller red such as a Côtes du Rhône or Grenache. Pulled and sauced, it becomes a barbecue dish: see pulled pork.
Pork belly is the fattiest cut of all, and the one where acidity matters most. A high-acid Riesling or a traditional-method sparkling wine is better than any red.
Porchetta, rolled and roasted with fennel, garlic and herbs, is Italian and tastes it. Verdicchio or a young Sangiovese suits the fennel and garlic.
In Denmark, roast pork with crackling is the centre of Christmas dinner, served with sweet-and-sour red cabbage, caramelised potatoes and brown gravy. There is a lot of sugar on that plate, so a dry, tannic red tastes harsh beside it.
A ripe, fruity red with little tannin is the answer: a Pinot Noir, a Beaujolais, or a soft Grenache. If you prefer white, an off-dry Riesling handles the red cabbage better than a dry one. For the full meal, see Christmas dinner; for pork cooked other ways, see pork chop and glazed ham.
FAQ
Chenin Blanc or a dry Riesling for white, or a light, low-tannin red such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Pork is mild and fatty, so it needs acidity more than tannin.
Both work. White is often better with lean loin, crackling and apple sauce; red suits a rich gravy or a slow-roasted shoulder. Keep any red light and low in tannin.
A high-acid white such as Riesling, or a traditional-method sparkling wine like Crémant. Pork belly is the fattiest cut, and acidity and bubbles cut the fat better than a red.
An off-dry white such as a demi-sec Vouvray or a Riesling with a little sweetness. Sweet apple sauce makes a bone-dry wine taste sour, so the wine needs a touch of sugar to match it.
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