St. Patrick’s Day is coming up this Thursday. But the folks in Chicago got started early, staging their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and the dyeing (green, of course) of the Chicago River on Saturday.
For many other people, the beverage of choice this Thursday will be that most Irish of beers: Guinness. But if you’re not a beer person, there are several wine alternatives available to you that pair quite nicely with traditional Irish fare.
Here are a few ideas…
- With Corned Beef and Cabbage — A nice Pinot Noir, preferably from the Russian River area of Sonoma County.
- With Irish Stew — Cabernet Franc, or a French Bordeaux with a significant portion of Cab Franc in the blend.
- With Bangers and Mash — Pork sausages with a bit of spice call for a fruitful wine with some spice of its own. Try a Syrah-based wine from the southern Rhone (such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape) or a Zinfandel from California.
- With Fish-n-Chips — Almost any fried food matches nicely with dry Riesling. Many American Rieslings are made in an off-dry style, so look for bottlings from Germany or France that are completely dry in style.
P.S.: While St. Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated here in the United States, it’s not an official holiday, so you’ll need to save your imbibing for after work. To get the full day off, you need to be a resident of the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat, or the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In Newfoundland, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on the Monday closest to March 17 — which this year would be today. To learn more, go to: http://www.canadiana.ca/en/content/st-patricks-day-canada.
And to our friends in the Great White North, may the luck o’ the Irish be with you!
