Near Perfection

I might as well start at the very top with the wines from the pig roast.  One wine was a near  perfect match with the un-sauced pork.  The wine was the 2008  Willi Schaefer Riesling Qualitatswein from the Mosel.  This is Schaefer's entry level wine, a blend of several vineyards. 

The wine was like drinking a liquified golden delicious apple.  It was crisp and tart, yet gave a suggestion of sweetness only to turn dry at the end with a suggestion of slate.  Those flavors were outstanding with the light smokiness in the pork.  The sharp acid in the wine was a perfect counterbalance to the juiciness and succulence of the pork.  The finish on the wine totally cleared the palate and made me eager for the next bite and sip. These two together made the party briefly fade to the background and made me quite happy that there is more of this wine in the cellar, along with a decent number of Schaefer's single vineyard wines from various vintages.

This is certainly not the best Riesling in the world, but at that point in time and with that particular pig it was as good as it gets. 

There were two sauces to go with the pork (more about them later), but the Riesling and the sauces were like the Montagues and Capulets or the Hatfields and McCoys - they weren't going to get along until a few people died in the fighting.  But with the plain pork this wine was remarkable.

The guest of honor with it's skin removed after cooking.