By Nicole Bayne
You can find Guinness anywhere on St. Patrick’s Day. Instead, try wine. Here are five local vineyards carrying wines that pair well with Irish fare.
868 Estate Vineyards
868’s Nancy Deliso says corned beef and cabbage would pair best with their “off-dry and very crisp” 2013 Riesling. “The corned beef is a very rich dish with a lot of fat in it,” says Deliso. “So the reisling, which is really crisp and almost a little bit tart, cuts that beautifully. It’s one of those things where you want to have contrast with the paring.” For the fondue, made with grass-fed cow’s milk cheese from Ireland, Deliso recommends the 2013 Cabernet Sauvingnon, a dry red wine “robust enough to handle that cheddar flavor, which is going to be a little bit sharp.”
St. Patrick’s Day event: Pot o’ Gold at 868 Estate, March 14, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Purcellville
Potomac Point Winery
Potomac Point winemaker David Pagan Castaño says the cherry and pomegranate fruit-forward Cabernet Franc pairs well with corned beef and cabbage. “If the dish is boiled, bold reds may overpower the dish that is considered delicate,” he says. “We want a wine that has enough body to go with a red meat but also a wine able to add a wide spectrum of flavors to berries and spices.”
Castano suggests pairing shepherd’s pie with the light and smooth Coyote Cave Red with notes of fresh berries. He says “that sort of wine will match perfectly for the earthy and savory flavors in the dish.”
St. Patrick’s Day event: Wearing of the Green, March 15, 2-5 p.m.; Potomac Point Winery, 275 Decatur Road, Stafford
Willowcroft Farm Vineyards
Tasting room manager Susan Mitchell says the 2012 Assemblage Select Bordeaux, a distinct red aged in oak for 15 months, pairs well with lamb and beef, staples of Irish cuisine.
Mitchell suggests pairing the butter-and-oak-balanced 2012 Chardonnay Reserve with corned beef because “corned beef, while red in color, does not have a lot of marbling as you would find in fine cuts of beef,” she says. “It actually goes better with a Chardonnay or a lighter, less tannic red such as our 2013 Chambourcin.” This vintage is lighter-bodied and “doesn’t have the big tannins that full-bodied red wines typically present, which makes it a smooth, easy drinking red,” says Mitchell. “This would compliment the flavor found in the corned beef.”
St. Patrick’s Day event: St. Paddy’s Day Celebration with Seafood, March 14, noon-5 p.m.; Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, 38906 Mt Gilead Road, Leesburg
