I’ve written many times before of my affection for all things rose’ and there is no better time to open a bottle of that sometimes pink, salmon colored or even orange hued wine than in the heat of the summer. And while it may seem counterintuitive to  pair rose’ with a hearty, meat-centric dish, I’m going to suggest you do just that.

Years ago, in a galaxy far, far away (actually a decade or so ago), I regaled the wine-obsessed creatures that read my vinous scratchings with a recipe for pork shoulder, also known as pork butt. With that barbecue-enhanced chunk of swine, I recommended you pair the dish with hearty red wines such as petite sirah, malbec or Chianti classico. I still favor using those types of reds to marry with the flavors of roasted meat such as pork shoulder. Butt just not in the summertime!

When temperatures soar, the thought of sipping heavy, robust reds is about as appealing as wearing an overcoat to go running in the desert. And while some of you may think of rose’ as a one-dimensional, inexpensive sweet wine, many are produced classically dry, and are made to accompany food. You may also be surprised to know that rose’ is made in just about every fine wine region on earth using just about every red grape variety imaginable. The wines I’m suggesting you pair with the “Pink Butt” recipe below are definitely food wines.

The Pink Butt

– Purchase a five-to-eight-pound pork butt (shoulder) roast ,and make several half-inch deep cuts all over the meat with a sharp knife.

Is there any better time of the year than summer? I don’t think so, and today I’m going to regale you with a delightful summertime four-course menu, with accompanying wines, that you can enjoy on the deck or even at your Fourth of July picnic. So, fire up the grill, put a chill on the wines (even the reds) and relish the fruits of your labor.

Appetizer: Spicy Pimento Cheese and Veggies – Add a few splashes of tabasco to pimento cheese spread and slather it onto flatbread crackers or crostini, and/or serve it as a dip with olives, celery, carrots, sugar snap peas and other raw veggies.

Wine: Mirabeau la Folie Sparkling rose’ ($25) – From southern France, this pale pink sparkling rosé is a dry bubbly with notes of bright peach and tropical fruit flavors. A great match to the spicy pimento cheese appetizer, this lovely and refreshing sparkling wine would also be a great accompaniment to brunch food or as a porch-sipper.

Salad course: Tri-color Rotini Pasta Salad. Cook rotini until al dente and, when it is cool, add green peas, cherry tomatoes, green onions pine nuts and chopped basil. Mix together and sauce the pasta salad with a creamy Caesar dressing, top with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and serve after a few hours in the refrigerator.

When I find compatible wine and food combinations, I have to force myself to try different pairing options and think outside the box… er…bottle. I suppose it’s because I’m a firm believer in the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” so I am very reluctant to risk suffering through, heaven forbid, a meal where the wine and food pairing is not simpatico. That would be as devastating and unpalatable as a loss to Pitt on Homecoming Day in Morgantown.

It’s all about priorities, and mine are rooted in hedonism and the endless search for gustatory nirvana. So, it is sometimes difficult for me to pass up tried and true combo’s like: grilled ribeye paired with a full-bodied, robust cabernet sauvignon; or lobster dunked in drawn butter and accompanied by a glass of rich and oaky chardonnay; or how about a silky pinot noir with roasted salmon or even a refreshing glass of sauvignon blanc with capellini slathered in a basil and pine nut pesto?

You get the picture, right? Well, I’m here to tell you it’s time to live a little on the wild side and try some wines that are not in your vinous wheelhouse. Today, I’ll suggest a few whites and reds that you might not have sipped, but which can serve as tasty alternatives to the old tried and true wines mentioned above.

White Wine Alternatives

If you are a chardonnay aficionado, you might try a wine called aligoté’ (Al-ee-go-tay). The aligoté grapes are planted in the Burgundy region of France where the more famous and expensive white (chardonnay) also grows. Like chardonnay, aligoté has ripe apple flavors, excellent acidity and a rich finish. Try it with roast chicken or pan sauteed white fish like cod.

Homo sapiens are complex beings. We like to think that we know what we like, and then we change our minds and make choices that surprise us. Take wine for example. For years, I had an aversion to drinking  any type of sweet wine. But I  know that was  the result of too many traumatic youthful experiences with sugary, high-octane liquids pretending to be wine. And then, low and behold, I had the occasion to sip a late harvest riesling with dessert at a fancy restaurant and I realized that sweet wines, in moderation, can be truly enjoyable.

Yin and yang,  ebb and flow, hot and cold:  seemingly incongruous terms that oftentimes can complement each other. How about sweet and sour? “Agrodolce” (Ag-row-dole-chee) is a sweet and sour sauce that is featured in many Italian recipes to enhance meat and fish dishes. Today’s menu showcases a rendition of agrodolce that combines its sweet and sour components to enhance the delectable flavor of roasted pork.

Recently, I purchased  a center cut pork rib roast (also referred to as rack of pork) from the great folks at General Steak and Seafood in Charleston. This roast is the pork equivalent of a standing beef rib roast or a rack of lamb. I used the agrodolce, like an Italian barbecue sauce, to baste each piece of meat that I cut from the roast once it was cooked. And, while I paired the roast with an Italian Chianti Classico Riserva (see below), pinot noir would make an equally good pairing with the dish. Pork roast, unlike beef or lamb, does better with light to medium bodied reds like sangiovese and pinot noir. You could also use white wine such as sauvignon blanc, viognier or a lighter-styled chardonnay to pair with the pork roast, but without the pungent agrodolce sauce.

This  pork roast was cut from Berkshire hogs –  a heritage breed originally imported from England in the early 1800’s. Berkshire meat is considered more juicy, flavorful and tender than meat from American bred pigs. However, I’ve also enjoyed the same type of roast from domestic animals, and the price per pound is about half of what you’ll pay for Berkshire pork. Regardless of what type of meat you choose, it’s important to note that pork roasts are significantly less expensive than beef or lamb. So Enjoy!

Here are my two wine recommendations for “Rack of Pork Agrodolce.”

Discovering the symbiotic relationship between wine and food is one of life’s exquisite pleasures. While I’ve always enjoyed eating, I was not always a fan of wine. As a matter of fact, it took me several years to realize that wine could be more than just an inferior substitute for beer or hundred proof vodka. It wasn’t until after I returned from an all-expense paid tour of southeast Asia (courtesy of the US Army) that my plebian palate experienced the alluring, complex and addicting characteristics of wine.

At that time, I was pursuing a graduate degree at WVU, and my wife and I were celebrating a special occasion at the Montmartre – Morgantown’s fanciest restaurant of the day located in the basement of the Hotel Morgan. I had ordered a beer to accompany my filet of beef, but the waiter suggested a glass of red wine instead. I was about to decline until he said that if I didn’t like the wine, I wouldn’t have to pay for it.  I accepted his offer, fully expecting to be disappointed. I was not. The wine by itself was tasty, but in combination with my steak, the dining experience was sublime. That epiphany changed the way I thought about wine – and food. As a result, I’ve been on a life-long mission to find and experience exceptional food and wine pairings.

A couple of weeks ago, I experienced one of those rare times when the entrée and accompanying wine were a perfect match. My wife and I were having dinner in Sarasota, Florida at a small Italian restaurant. Marcello Ristorante is located along a busy highway in small strip mall, and in a non-descript building. The place is the embodiment of the phrase, “looks can be deceiving,” because Marcello is one of the finest Italian restaurants in which I have dined. The owner of the eponymous restaurant, Marcello Aquino, is a self-taught master chef who perfected his culinary skills at his mother’s small Italian eatery in Sarasota, and then later in New York City restaurants.

Marcello is open for dinner service only, and the menu (which changes daily) is featured on a chalkboard that is rolled up to each table for patrons to view and make  selections. There are nine tables in the main body of the restaurant along with a 12-seat table in an adjacent glass enclosed wine room where guests dine next to a wall of bottles. The chef is just a one-man show toiling in a small, open kitchen to create edible masterpieces such as Bahamian Lobster Tail Fra Diavolo, Florida Rock Shrimp with Gnocchi and Sage Cream along with a host of other mouth-watering delights.

The wine list at Marcello is voluminous with bottles from every Italian region, and with a special emphasis on Brunello di Montalcino. The Brunello portfolio alone features more than 300 different labels, making it one of the most extensive lists of that fabled Tuscan wine on the planet. Just as amazing is how reasonably the wines are priced. Most wines can be purchased for what you might pay for that same bottle in a wine shop, and some are actually priced below retail. For the superb quality of the wine list and the exceptional cuisine, Marcello Ristorante has earned the Wine Spectator’s coveted  “Award of Excellence.”

I’m issuing a critically important alert to folks who share my gender: Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and you better be ready!

Men, believe me when I say that special person in your life takes this annual holiday VERY seriously. I learned this the hard way several years ago when I arrived home from work one day to find the house dimly lit with candlelight, and the rooms suffused with heavenly aromas of freshly baked bread. On the dining room table was a carafe of red wine, a rose in a vase with a Hallmark card the size of an aardvark leaning against it. Could I have entered the wrong home? Was I in a parallel universe?

Unfortunately, I had arrived at the correct address, but I had forgotten it was Valentine’s Day. For the next several weeks there was a definite chill in the air, and it was especially frigid in one particular room in the house. It took me quite a while to earn my “get out of the doghouse card.” So now, February 14th is forever indelibly etched into the recesses of my feeble mind.

I know you won’t make the same mistake and you’ll probably shower your significant other with jewelry, flowers or candy. However, I also suggest adding a bottle of tasty (as well as tasteful) romance-enhancing wine to your card or other Valentine gift. And, since the traditional Valentine’s Day colors are red and pink, I’m recommending wines that highlight those particular hues.

Whether you celebrate the day with a nice dinner at home or at your favorite restaurant, you should start the celebration with a sparkling wine or Champagne to set the mood and make the event even more effervescent. Give one or both of these bottles a try.

I recently visited California and the vineyard that annually provides the grapes I use to make homemade wine. For the last five years, the quality of those wines has far exceeded anything I’ve ever made before, and I wanted to meet the people that grow the grapes. The Lanza family vineyards are in Solano County just a quick 30- minute drive east of the Napa Valley. More specifically, the Lanza property is located in the Suisun (pronounced Sue-Soon) Valley.

I met with Ron Lanza, the oldest of four brothers, that manage the business, and who have sold their grapes for decades to some of the most prestigious wineries in northern California such as Caymus. In fact, because of the quality of the grapes in the Suisun Valley, Caymus built a tasting facility adjacent to the Lanza vineyards. The Lanza’s also have their own winery, Wooden Valley, and four generations of the family have been making wines there for 90 years. The wines are only available for sale at the tasting room, or through their online tasting clubs. If you’re interested, you can go to their website at: woodenvalley.com. Their wines are uniformly excellent.

Meeting with the Lanza family reminded me of my own immigrant roots and the importance of wine to the culture and tradition of the Italian family. There was always a jug of homemade vino on the family table, especially during family meals at my Grandparents’ home in the North View section of Clarksburg. So, I suppose it’s not surprising that I followed the wine-stained trail blazed by my Grandfather decades before. I know that memories of Grandpa and my uncles making wine left an indelible imprint in my mind. One particular vintage stands out.

My uncles and older cousins gathered in the side yard of Grandpa’s home to make wine. The grapes, mostly reds like zinfandel and petite sirah, came from vineyards in California’s Central Valley, and were then transported by train across the country. I remember helping unload the boxcar full of grapes, packed in 36-pound wooden boxes called lugs. The annual winemaking ritual was a joyous occasion for the whole family. There would be tables next to the old wooden grape crusher that held platters of Italian food and jugs of homemade wine. However, there were certain traditions that had to be observed before the winemaking festivities could begin. First, our parish priest would appear in the yard to bless the new vintage. He would pick up a small vial of holy water, sprinkle and then bless the grapes in the first lug to be crushed. Next, Grandpa would point to the only person among us who was not a member of the family and ask her to come forward. Lucia Carmaletti provided a service that was deemed necessary before winemaking in our family could commence.

Lucia, who was thought to be a gypsy, was hired to perform the ritual “pigiatura” or stomping of the grapes. The woman chosen to do the stomping was traditionally required to be a young maiden, but as my Uncle Frankie said, “the grapes can’t wait for maidens, or they’d never get crushed.” Lucia was neither young nor a maiden, but she was always ready, willing and able to assume the role of Vestal Virgin if called upon, and if she was compensated for her time.

Every autumn, just before Thanksgiving, Wine Spectator Magazine releases its “Top 100” wines of the year. This year the bottle chosen as the best wine of 2023 comes from Italy. It’s the 2018 Argiano Brunello Di Montalcino that retails for $90 a bottle. The Argiano was one of 9200 wines blind-tasted and rated by the editors of the magazine. Of those 9200, 5819 bottles were rated 90 or better on the magazine’s one hundred 100-point scale, and from those wines the top 100 were selected. You can check out the entire list in the current issue of Wine Spectator.

In looking over the selections, I was pleased to see that there are 44 wines in the top 100 that cost $30 a bottle or less. The wine rated number 31 (2022 Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc) was the least expensive bottle on the list and is priced at $12 a bottle. The most expensive wine is a Napa Valley red blend (2020 Cathiard Family Estate) rated number 98 and going for $225 a bottle.

The Wine Spectator ratings substantiate a view I’ve long held that the price of wine does not guarantee the quality – good or bad -of what’s inside the bottle. In other words, if you pay $100 for a bottle of cabernet sauvignon, you can’t be certain that it will be superior to one costing $25. The converse is true also.

So obviously, you should use criteria other than price to judge the quality of wine. That’s why lists like the one from Wine Spectator, other wine rating publications or websites, along with recommendations from wine critics, all provide a valuable service (can’t you just visualize me reaching over my shoulder to pat myself on the back?). Some of us also use rating systems such as the 100-point scale where wines rated 90 and above are considered to be excellent. Others depend on buying wine from exceptionally rated vintages, and/or from specific wine regions like Bordeaux or Napa.

Aside from using these external wine evaluation options, the most failsafe way to judge the quality of wine is to taste it yourself, and then decide what to buy. However, there are more economical ways to evaluate  wine that don’t require you to buy individual bottles. One option is to attend tastings that wine shops or wine appreciation groups regularly sponsor and conduct. At these events, the sponsoring organization usually provides, at a nominal fee, several different wines for attendees to taste and judge.