Cooking with lager

For over 500 years, the Benedictine order thrived in Italy. While their motherhouse was Monte Cassino, their greatest abbey was located in Maçon, Burgundy. In 1112, a group of thirty monks established a small monastery in Citeaux, located in the heart of a forest just north of Beaune. They took the name Cistercians from the name of the Monastery and wore a white habit to distinguish themselves from the Benedictines. What made these monks stand out was their piety and fanatical work ethic. They attracted intelligent young men who literally worked until they dropped. Their life expectancy was under 30 years.

The Cistercians were granted lands throughout Burgundy, where they made the vineyards a living laboratory to achieve perfection. They experimented with soil, pruning, grafting, and tasting. Perhaps one of their best lasting contributions to wine was the concept of “Cru” (Growth), a section of a vineyard proven to produce superior wines each year. They built walls around these vineyards to protect them. The most recognizable is Clos de Vougeot, the largest single vineyard in the Côtes de Nuits entitled to the “Grand Cru” (Great Growth) designation. The geology of this region was truly remarkable with its layer cake of rock and subsoil mixed together in various geological cocktails. The Cistercians set the standard for winemaking in their time. One story tells that they were the first to plant the Chardonnay vine in Chablis, still known today as Beaunois.

Next week, the Feudal Empire strikes back…

Now, to accompany Lili’s pork loin recipe, I recommend one of the following wines:

Firstly, the wonderfully bright 2008 Gamay from Sugarbush Vineyards ($19); you get a bouquet of cherry and spiced red fruits on the nose and a palette of ripe red berries and freshly roasted criollo cacao beans. A lightly tart finish cleanses the palette for the next bite. Bob and Sally Peck made this wine from grapes grown in their vineyard.

A second option is the well-balanced 2008 Cabernet Franc ($24), produced by Richard Karlo of Karlo Estates; an intriguing approach of deep red fruits, plug tobacco, and dark chocolate on the nose. The first sip offers dark fruits with a finish of saddle leather and freshly crushed black peppercorns. This is a nicely structured wine with balanced acidity and light tannins.