Pair wine with your St. Patrick’s Day meal for a scrumptious celebration.
St. Patrick’s Day is on the anniversary of the day the “Apostle of Ireland” died, March 17. St. Patrick was a 5th Century missionary who is believed to have introduced Christianity to Ireland. He taught about the Holy Trinity using a common clover, which has three leaves. And, of course, drinking green beer is one of the most prominent of St. Patrick’s Day traditions. Another way to celebrate is to pair wine with popular Irish dishes. The type of wine you pull from your wine cellar or wine fridge can be a perfect match for Irish Stew or Corned Beef and Cabbage. As long as your wine has been properly stored, your taste buds are in for a lucky pairing.
Irish Stew Wine Pairings
Traditional Irish Stew contains a healthy amount of beer, such as Guinness Stout. It also has ingredients such as boneless roast beef and Worcestershire sauce. The rich flavors in Irish Stew are enhanced when paired with certain types of wine. Recommendations of wine pairings with Irish Stew include the following.
Tanis Cabernet Franc is a high priced wine for the region, and it is an ideal pairing with Irish Stew. Tasting notes have mentions of tobacco, dark spice, and herbaceous accents as well as vegetal characteristics.
Cuda Ridge Merlot is an “easy drinking” wine. Merlot grapes are somewhat large in relation to the thickness of skins and their pips, which is where tannins come from.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Wine Pairings
Corned Beef and Cabbage has obvious ingredients and is an absolute Irish classic. Pair an ideal wine with this dish, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style. A Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay will do perfectly.
Pinot Noir has medium low tannin and medium high acidity. You can store Pinot Noir in your wine cellar or wine cabinet for 2 to 8 years, depending on which style you have chosen. Tasting notes show that fruits in this wine include cranberry, cherry, and raspberry. Other flavors include vanilla, clove, licorice, mushroom, wet leaves, and caramel. The taste of corned beef and cabbage is even better when enjoyed with a glass of Pinot Noir.
Chardonnay that is very ripe has tropical flavors, with fruits such as pineapple, mango, and guava. The flavors of lemon and green apple can be detected in a barely ripe Chardonnay. Select Chardonnay to go with corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day; of course, serve all to a group of close friends.
On St. Patrick’s Day and year around, the delights of pairing wine with the right foods is something to celebrate. For wine that can age to perfection, storage in your wine cellar or wine cabinet will ultimately make you feel as lucky as if you found an 4-leaf Irish clover.
