Wine Consultant

by Mark Lloyd
(Honolulu)

Our local newspaper is publishing more and more ideas for meals on a budget, and for good reason. There are many recipes for bean stews and the like, but today I was reminded of a favorite; slow braised pork shoulder.
Whenever you see pork, thyme, sage and rock salt in the same recipe, you are onto something good. So now you're thinking Pinot Noir with that? Of course. And if you have that bottle of Siduri, or Testarossa Pinot ($38) handy, then break it out. But we are talking about VALUE here, so lets look at Pinots bigger cousin from across the vineyard, Syrah.
Syrah was tapped to become the "next Merlot," over 5 years ago, but the little purple guy never really made his fame fruitfull. You can buy Syrahs (and Shiraz, if you love the Aussie versions) for about $10 -$20 cheaper than pinots at equal quality, and get a lot of bang for your buck too.
Try Morgan Syrah from Monterey($20), or Justin Syrah from Paso Robles ($25). These wines are mouth-coating, with blueberries, smoke, a hint of white pepper, and sometimes are even described as "meaty."
Slow braise your pork at 200 or 250 degrees for 4 hours, pour in a can of Bud light (or other budget beer), tsp olive oil, add your thyme, sage, garlic maybe, cover with foil and walk away. After three hours turn it over and cook remaining hour.
Another wine that will sing with the Pork Butt is old vine garnacha from Spain (Grenache is you prefer French). Borsao winery makes a 60 year old-vine version called 'Tres Picos,'($16) and this smokey little number will hit that shoulder with the power of defensive-end contacting a running back on the thirty yard line, but with finesse that is all pleasure, not pain.
So lets dine in our economy of '09! This whole meal for three could be made for $30, and if you like big flavors your wants will be sated. We can all keep recession on recess, keep playing with our friends and enjoy a good, hearty, home cooked meal. So enjoy!