Perfect Match: Roasted pork shanks with Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett

This weekend, in a spurt of reorganizing the freezer, I decided I really needed to use up the three pork shanks I’d picked up at Harvey’s Guss Meat Co. in Los Angeles. Since I already had a jar of Kruegermann’s sauerkraut (made in Silver Lake) and the day felt just a little bit like winter--well, wintry enough--I decided to make roasted pork shanks with sauerkraut from New York chef Kurt Gutenbrunner’s cookbook “Neue Cuisine: The Elegant Tastes of Vienna.”

Two of us certainly couldn’t eat three pork shanks ourselves, so I invited a few friends over at the last minute. When one asked what he could bring, I told him to pick up a German Riesling. He ended up bringing the 2012 Dr. Loosen “Blue Slate” Riesling Kabinett. It turned out to be a great choice.

If you’re wondering why on Earth I would serve a white wine with pork, you’re not alone. No rule says you can’t drink white wine with meat—especially pork—but many people believe it anyway.

Since the pork shanks are roasted with caraway seeds (and glazed with dark beer), the meat, served shredded off the bone like pulled pork, has a sweet, spicy edge to it and an enticing caramelized crust. As a contrast, the sauerkraut, cooked with onions and a little white wine, has a nervy tang. And against those flavors, the Loosen Kabinett rides in like a champion surfer who’s caught a big wave.

Definitely not trocken or dry, the Riesling is both sweet and tart, a little flirty, and a marvelous match for both the dense stolid pork and the racier sauerkraut.

2012 Dr. Loosen “Blue Slate” Riesling Kabinett (Mösel, Germany), about $18 to $20. If you can’t find this wine, look for another Riesling Kabinett from the Mösel.

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