It's baaaaaaack.
It seems we've come into some plonk, and now it can all be yours. Sure, all the experts say the wine you cook with should be at least as good as the wine you drink, but they're experts, what do they know? Plonk's acidity pairs well with fatty meats and adds a nice zest as it reduces.
It just so happens I'd already picked up a small bit of pork butt, aka, shoulder, and was about to sacrifice a surprisingly pleasant wine to it, this 2001 Columbia Crest Shiraz. The Larry came in Friday and left this behind. I thought it might be okay at best, not because Columbia Crest doesn't do a good job of it at a most reasonable price, but that their efforts might not last 13 years. I was wrong! It was delicious, a little too delicious in a big sort of way, it probably would have obliterated that pork butt. (AKA, shoulder.)
Fortunately the Plonk showed up. I opted this one, a 1978 something French and white.The cork was like soft butter and the wine tasted like the smell of coffee with a sharp, fruity edge. 
I'm just going to say it: raw pork butt is not attractive. Neither is the shoulder. Garlic, salt, and some crushed spices - looks like a little anise, black and red pepper, coriander and a little cumin. Not quite a slow-and-low, more like a slightly faster-and-medium. The juices got strained and reduced, and softened with a bit of butter. This is a sharp, acidic flavor profile, maybe not for everyone, but free for the taking for anyone to try.
