Coffee and maple syrup-brined pork with Saint Joseph

Occasionally a wine pairing comes along that you simply don’t expect. Invited to a barbecue at the weekend, I took along some reds I’d been tasting which I frankly wasn’t sure would go with the sweet marinades you generally encounter at a BBQ.

I had highest hopes of a soft ripe unoaked Douro red that I thought would hit the spot and the lowest expectations of a classy 2014 Domaine du Monteilet Cuvée du Papy Saint Joseph but it was so delicious I wanted to share it anyway.

It turned out that the centrepiece of a barbecue was a joint of pork which had been brined by our host food writer Genevieve Taylor in a mixture of coffee and maple syrup and therefore had a touch of bitterness that chimed in perfectly with the peppery syrah. (There was also a creamy side dish of butter beans and courgettes instead of sharply dressed salads which helped.) The Douro red tasted flabby by comparison.

It goes to show that with barbecues - as with any other type of cooking - it’s the flavours you put with your base ingredient that tend to determine the success of the pairing. And - hooray! - that you needn't wait for a dinner party to consume your favourite wines.

Incidentally you can buy the wine for £22.59 from D Byrne of Clitheroe and £22.99 at allaboutwine.co.uk

See also

What's the best type of wine for a barbecue