Now you might think that for a pairing with something like Bourbon Molasses Glazed Pork Chops, I would forego the wine and feature a bourbon cocktail instead. Well, you’d be wrong.

A hearty meat dish like this needs a good wine, something big and fruit-forward that will complement the bite of the bourbon, syrupy molasses, dense chops, and sweet carrots and apples that it’s served on. Enter Terra Vina.

Terra Vina Wines is a small, family-owned affair in Oregon that produces grapes grown from their estate in Oregon’s Chehalem Mountains AVA under their La Famiglia label and also sources grapes from eastern Oregon and Washington state for big reds produced under their Terra Vina label. Winemaker Karl Dinger started his life as an architectural engineer and spent many years in the high-tech hustle and bustle of the Silicon Valley and, later, the Silicon Forest, until he followed his passion and turned professional winemaker in 2004. Influenced by the family’s Italian connections, Karl and his wife Carole have sought to make wines here in the Pacific Northwest that evoke the old-world style of Italian reds.

The Terra Vina Simpatico is an excellent example of the Italian-style quality that can be found in new world wines. A blend of cabernet franc, dolcetto, merlot, and petit verdot make for a smooth red blend with tart, juicy flavors of raspberry, cherry and dark cola. It’s the perfect wine for a rich meal like my Bourbon Molasses Glazed Pork Chops. I can’t wait to try it with some barbecue this summer.

Get the recipe for my Bourbon Molasses Glazed Pork Chops here.

Buy a bottle (or two) of the Terra Vina Simpatico here.

As with any part of a healthy lifestyle, always enjoy alcohol responsibly and in moderation.

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