The Ultimate Wine Pairing For Apple Chutney-Stuffed Pork Chops

If you haven't tried our apple chutney-stuffed pork chops yet, you're missing out. There's very little prep, and you end up with a delicious meal that's big on flavor. There's the brightness of the apple, the warm spice of the yellow curry powder, and the tangy bite of the apple cider vinegar that all come together perfectly. But with so much going on, you may be wondering what wine to pair it with. To help you out, we talked with Catherine Fallis, Master Sommelier at Bright Cellars, to see what she recommended.

"Apple chutney is complex and flavorful, ideal with the more neutral and meaty pork flavors of a chop," Fallis said. "For dishes like these, I recommend a more delicately flavored wine, such as Bright Cellars' 2022 Batik Chenin Blanc from California, that is also light and crisp to refresh the palate and prime you for another bite." It's all about finding a balance between the dish and the glass. If your meal is complex and flavorful, a wine that isn't trying to compete is going to keep your dinner cohesive.

Anyone who tells you that pairing wine with food is easy is either bragging or lying to you. If there's such a thing as a rulebook for wine pairing, it's only one rule long: Wine pairing is subjective. If you think a certain wine tastes good while you're eating a certain food, then the pairing works. But that doesn't actually help us plan ahead, and nobody wants to open five different bottles of wine before they find the one that works.

With less complex foods, pairing wine isn't as challenging. Generally speaking, the bolder your food is, the bolder your wine should be. If you have a hearty beef stew, you'll probably pair it with a bold red. If you have a light summer salad, you'll likely opt for a light, crisp white. The flavors of the apple chutney-stuffed pork chops are big and wonderful, which could make you think a red would be best. But because pork chops aren't as bold as beef and the flavor of apple is bright, a bottle of white wine is likely to pair better.