Toronto, Ontario's metropolis, is not called 'Hogtown' for nothing. From the Thousand Islands to the Lakehead, Upper Canada is pork country. So GFR asked Master Sommelier John Szabo what wines to pair with what pork cuts and preparations.

A peameal bacon sandwich?
Serve it with honey mustard like they do down at the St. Lawrence Market: that needs a wine with fat, body, acidity and a slight sweet impression. Go with Alsatian style Pinot Gris or Gewürztramminer, or an Off-Dry Riesling.

A BLT?
Light refreshing whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, or crisp herbal reds like Cabernet Franc.

A charcuterie plate?
A classic match with dry Riesling or or other dry, unoaked, crisp whites. Or, light bodied, peppery and mouth salivating reds served with a slight chill also work nicely, like Gamay or Pinot Noir, Dolcetto, Barbera, Schioppetino, Bonarda, Blaufrankisch (a.k.a. Kékfrankos) and many more...

Hot Italian sausage?
Hot spice deals a fatal blow to most wines, so leave your top kit in the cellar. This is the time to pull out fun, rustic wines to quaff with this rustic meal. Big, fat, mouth-filling and very fruity wines like Amador County, California, Zinfandel, Malbec from Argentina, Paso Robles Cabernet or Barossa Shiraz work nicely, as would voluptuous Southern Rhône and similar blends. Alternatively go native with a modern style Nero d'Avola from Sicily or Montepulciano-based wines from Abruzzo or Le Marche.

Grilled pork chops?
The sweet, smoky flavour of grilled pork chops works beautifully with a ripe, fullish Riesling. An unctuous and exotic Viognier would also fit the bill.

BBQ back ribs with a tomato-based sauce?
There is often a strong sweet-hot component to most BBQ sauces, which calls for a big, bold, fruit forward, new world style red such as California Zinfandel, Malbec from Argentina or Barossa Shirazes from Australia, big and bold Rioja or Ribera del Duero from Spain, or modern Douro Valley reds from Potugal. Smoky oak flavour in the wine can complement the smoke from the 'Q, but ultra ripe dark fruit flavour should dominate.

Pork tenderloin in a soy-ginger marinade?
Back to the lush, aromatic, whites for this dish. The tenderloin is very delicately flavoured, so its the marinade that makes or breaks the match. Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer, Albariño, Viognier, New World (warm climate) Chardonnay with lots of tropical fruit and little or no oak, fat Pinot Gris, Torrontés from Argentina, Encruzado from Portugal, or new wave Ontario white blends (such as Creekside's Laura's White)...

John Szabo is Canada's first and only Master Sommelier. He is also a wine writer and a winemaker. Find out more about John Szabo at johnszabo.com

Malcolm Jolley is the editor of Good Food Revelation.