Every St Patrick's Day I conjure up visions of eating corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Then I wonder ?What wine goes with corned beef and cabbage?? The corned beef is too salty and doesn't work with any wine very well. Someone yells to me that beer is more in order. Maybe a wine from Ireland?
The climate of Ireland isn't the best for growing grapes. There's only one wine that that comes from Ireland and it's made by Llewellyn's - a farmer in north county Dublin. His normal produce is apples and he makes a lot of apple juice for upscale independent retailers. His wine is more of a novelty item at best. What is interesting about Irish wine is the Irish connection with Bordeaux. Irish names like Lynch, Barton, Phelan adorn the labels on some of the best wines from the Bordeaux region. As for wine making, the Irish are better off sticking to the black stuff, Guinness.
But I'm a wine guy and don't care for beer so I do some more digging. Guess what? It seems that corned beef and cabbage is more of an American St Patrick's Day tradition. According to Bridgett Haggerty of the website Irish Cultres and Customs their research shows that most likely a "bacon joint" or a piece of salted pork boiled with cabbage and potatoes would more likely have shown up for an Easter Sunday feast in the rural parts of Ireland. Since the invention of refrigeration, people eat fresh meats. Today corned beef and cabbage is considered a peasant dish and is more popular in the United States than in Ireland. People eat it on St. Patrick's Day as a nostalgic reminder of the Irish heritage.
If you want to try really authentic Irish dishes, Gerry at www.WineOnline.ie says that one of the very traditional Dublin dishes is Coddle which is still served to this day. http://www.matchmywine.com/index.php?mod=match&p=details&id=608. The most famous dish is probably the Irish Stew http://www.matchmywine.com/index.php?mod=match&p=details&id=607.
Many of these dishes had their origins in very basic peasant style food dating back to the pre-famine era (mid 1800's)when potatoes were the staple Irish peasant diet mixed with vegetables and meat, if available - the slow cooking process of the stew allowed for lesser cuts of meat. And man are these two recipes hearty.
But if your heart is set on Corned Beef and Cabbage, food and wine pairing isn't an exact science. Laurence with The Irish Wine Blog at www.sourgrapes.ie says ?I'd go with a fruity red with high acidity to get through the saltiness of the corned beef. I'll put my neck out and suggest a Chianti Classico.?
For St. Patrick's Day, Guinness and Green may be more American, but In the spirit of food and wine pairing, try a truly Irish dish and pair it with a great wine.
Years ago, if you would ask a wine expert or die hard enthusiast about which wine to choose with a certain kind of food they would talk about rules that you had to follow when you want to pair food and wine. These days however the rules aren't that strict anymore because wine is becoming more and more popular with a much broader audience.
Let's be honest, wine pairing is not rocket science but you do need to have a good working taste and knowledge of wine. There is not real wrong or right answer when you pair food and wine it would rather be a personal preference to choose one above the other. On the other hand there are a few wines that should not be used with certain foods because they clash, the reason being the chemicals found in each of them.
Some of the guidelines
Lets take a look at wine first, the thing you should concentrate on is not how the wine tastes but what the body and structure is like. A chardonnay with a medium body that has a little bit of oak undertone in it can be served with a wide range of food, a heavy one on the other hand would narrow your choice a lot.
The thing to remember is that it is better not to match a delicate wine with heavy food because the wine would be lost in the taste of the food. A nice acid taste in wine will be great with fried food and fish or cheese. An excellent pair would be a wine that is a bit tart and a sauce or vinaigrette that also has a tart taste to it.
Using an astringent, high in tannins kind of wine with a high fat content dish would be a fantastic match, this is because of the biting wine taste will cut through the richness of the fatty food. Never upstage either the food or the wine, this is a guideline you should remember. AS an example, you would never eat an elaborate dish when you want to show off a vintage wine you have lying in the cellar, you would rather eat something light that would let the wine be the center of attention.
Things you should know
Red wine goes with red meat and white wine goes with fish or any other seafood dish and chicken. While you don't have to be so strict about it these are some of the simpel rules to follow when you are not sure what to do. The thing to remember is that if your dish is heavy in taste your wine should not be and the other way round.
Never let the flavors battle each other is a basic rule when it comes to food and wine pairings. It would confuse your guests at the dinner table and that is not what you want to do. In the end it comes down to being sensible about the wine choice, again it is not rocket science.
Both Mike Birdsall & Jean Bolton are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mike Birdsall has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food and Drink, Cooking Tips and Food and Drink. MatchMyWine.com explains how to match Irish , not an easy thing to do. If you really want to be Irish, try a more traditional recipe and a great bottle of wi. Mike Birdsall's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.
Jean Bolton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wine and Spirits, Food and Drink and Gift Ideas. Jean Bolton loves to give gifts and wine is her favorite. She shows that . Jean Bolton's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.