2016 Pinot Gris – Glacier Ridge

The first vintage of single vineyard designated Pinot Gris from Glacier Ridge to hit the shelves, this wine is already a hit! In opposition to the aromatic and crystalline Rieslings, with the Glacier Ridge Pinot Gris we delve into the texture and depth of white wine.

Musing from our Winemaker from his kitchen…

Is there an ingredient that has gone through more guises in the past few decades than Pork Chops?  While always being a special treat for a meal, they have gone from being main course royalty to tragically misunderstood and back again.  

Perhaps they were initially victims of their own success; the chops themselves used to be bone-on, thick, and a rarity, but by the late 1990s their popularity had driven them to be thin, lean, and boneless.  Rather than cooking them simply with a nuanced sauce to highlight their flavor, the sauces in pork chop recipes came to cover up how dry the cut often was.  Food safety guidelines were to cook all pork to 160F, at which point they also happen to turn into cardboard.  Meagz tells the story of an acquaintance who, as a younger child, enthusiastically would eat pork chops and unironically laud them for being, “dry and dusty, just the way I like it!”  

Thankfully, with the re-emergence and appreciation of our local farming community, real pork chops can be readily found once again.  They are not inexpensive, but nor should they be.  A recipe like the below is meant to be a treat, and to simply adorn the best quality pork chop you can find.  It is also one of my favorite ‘genre’s’ of recipe: it is an American version of a French recipe, that is itself a fantasy of what the French think a Hungarian pork chop preparation would be.  It’s akin to culinary telephone, but the results are delicious.

And to pair with it?  A wine from a grape who’s trajectory parallels the pork chop!  Pinot Gris has gone through as many evolutions as any grape in the past few decades; from being the rich, perfumed white wine of Alsace to becoming a code-word for cheap, cheerful, and thin as Pinot Grigio.  Much like modern day farmers, our handling of Pinot Gris at Red Newt is meant to reclaim what this grape can be.  Curry Creek Vineyard delivers an unctuous style of Pinot Gris year in and year out, and it is our honor to celebrate that beauty in this bottling.  

So enjoy this Finger Lakes wine from an Italian grape by way of Alsace, with the American-French-Hungarian recipe below: the combination brings a whole new meaning to fusion!

RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in, thick-cut, pork chops
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon paprika 
• 2 teaspoons peanut, vegetable or corn oil 
• ¾ cup finely chopped onion 
• ½ cup dry white wine 
• ½ cup heavy cream 
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle the pork chops on both sides with salt, pepper and paprika.  If preparing ahead, the seasoned pork chops can be left covered in the refrigerator for several hours, or even overnight, for better flavor.  
2. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the pork chops. Without moving or checking on them often, cook until nicely browned on one side, about 8-10 minutes.  Turn and sauté until nearly cooked through, anywhere from 5-10 minutes longer depending on the size of the pork chop.  If you can check with a thermometer, 145F is the target finish temperature for the pork chops for food safety and for juiciness.  
3. Sprinkle the onion between the pork chops and cook briefly. Transfer the pork chops to a platter; keep warm.
4. Add the wine to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the liquid is almost fully reduced. Add the cream and cook over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes at the most. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the pork chops with the sauce on top.