Gewurztraminer or Riesling …

The Irish Love Wine Too!

Just because it is St. Patrick’s Day does not mean wine doesn’t have a place at your celebration. Too many in this world assume the Irish chug Guinness, carry flasks of whiskey in their back pockets, eat fish and potatoes while singing drunken lullabies. The American interpretation of St. Patty’s day has evolved into a day of partying, ‘being Irish for a day,’ or demanding extra attention because they are of Irish descent. There are pints and yards of green beer, milky shots dropped into pints of stout, and some pretty scary sing-a-longs. 

My family just celebrated the day differently. The focus was spending time with family, celebrating family stories and naturally a bit of song and dance. As an Irish descendent and FLX girl born and bred, beer was for gatherings and wine was for meals. A tradition I found reinforced when I lived in Ireland. In fact, the Irish are in the top 20 consumers of wine in the world and we Americans come in only in the top 50. 

I lived and worked in Dublin while attending grad school and low and behold, St. Patrick’s Day is not a day of drunken debauchery, but a festival week that celebrates Irish music, arts, culture, food and families. People attend concerts throughout the week, but the day itself is a holy family day. Families attend mass, head to the pub for a bit, then all the pubs close early. Everyone heads home for family time, meaning loads of food, wine, stories and music.  

So enjoy your corned beef, colcannon and roasted cabbage and carrots. But, before you reach for that Guinness, head to the wine rack and look for a Riesling or a Gewurztraminer. I’ll be pouring the 2018 Gewurztraminer for tonight’s meal. The style of this wine will stand up beautifully to the corned beef and add a dimension of additional flavor to veggies.  Eire Go Brach and Slainte!