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Pairing pork and green chili stew

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This stew will be spicy with tomatoes and potatoes. The meat will be a pork butt roast.

I'm thinking about a riesling to go with the spicyness of the dish. It seems like a Pinot Noir would also go with the heartiness of the pork.

I curious to see what the Chowhounds think. If I chose a riesling, should it be dry or sweet? I have Chateau St. Michelle Eroica, Grossett Polish Hill (highly rated by WS) and Hexamer Quartzet (sweet from Germany). I have an extensive collection of Pinots ranging from Cali, Oregon and a few Burgandies.

Thanks in advance.

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  1. I would pair it with an off-dry Riesling. Kabinett or Spatlese level.

    Eroica would work but for the fact that I'm not a huge fan of the wine. I'm not familiar with the others you mention.

    You could also do a Rose sparkler.

    1. Riesling is the obvious common denominator between these two dishes. I assume the dishes are going to be served together so it would be difficult to avoid "crossover" on the wines.

      Given that, even though Pinot might be a good "pork wine", i've never been excited about pinot and "spice" in general and I'd avoid it here. If you want a pork-friendly red that handles spice somewhat better, I'd look at a zinfandel.

      As for the ideal riesling ripeness, I'd look at a kabinett probably, non-dry, spatlese would be nice also I'd think.

      If you're looking for predictable alternatives to riesling here, a rich alsatian gewurztraminer (or german for that matter) would be quite nice. Ditto a Scheurbe. For this meal, ideally it would be a good opportunity to compare and contrast a couple of whites (say a riesling and a gewurz), and personally I'd rather do that than serve a red with it, the way it's described.

      1. The Grosset Polish Hill is excellent, but I wouldn't want to drink it with a spicy stew. The Eroica would be fine. Another vote for off-dry riesling.

        1. German rieslings would probably not put up with the heat while I agree that Eroica would. Since I prefer red, I often pair rustic style Portuguese wines with
          spicy stews--they work very well.

          4 Replies
          1. re: penthouse pup

            "German rieslings would probably not put up with the heat while I agree that Eroica would. "


            German Rieslings have more acid structure, lifting the hot oils off the palate, and can have more sweetness, counterbalancing the heat. Plus, some have an almost-petulance that can also lift the hot oils off the tongue.

            1. re: whiner

              Rieslings are brilliant with spicy heat.

              I had a dish very similar to this Friday night, though the chile flavor was green and only slightly spicy. Wines were a 2006 Hexamer Riesling Kabinett, 2007 Theo Minges Pfalz Riesling Qualitatswein, and 2004 Kosta Browne RRV Pinot Noir.

              All of the wines worked. If the dish had been any hotter, the Hexamer would have been my favorite. But the Hexamer we had was Kabinett, and the Hexamer Quartet is sweet. I'd try a couple of wines and see.

              1. re: maria lorraine


                Have you had the Minges Scheurebe Spatlese? I swear it is one of the best values out of Germany. Not quite up to the Muller-Catoir, but *seriously* good, at least from the vintages I've had. (Damn, I need to get some...)

              2. re: whiner

                Pardon me, but I have no idea what you mean by "lifting the hot oils off the palate"--where is the "palate": do you mean your tongue,and its taste buds? Do you mean the roof of the mouth? Or are you speaking metaphorically? Alastian and New World rieslings work best in my experience. Gewurtztraminers are an obvious choice and interestingly, if you can fine a red vino verde from Portugual, those too would work.
                Chacun son gout...

            2. Can you give us more info. on the stew? What are the spices exactly? Is this a Mexican-style stew? Chicken broth? If so, I a, leaning more towards a Sauv/Semillon blend (bordeaux blanc). But it has to be one with neutral oak or none. The riesling is an easy-go to but perhaps the stew needs more body to support it. Anyway, not enough info here to clearly send you down a path.