Corned Beef, and Cabbage, and . . . Wine?

If you’re partial to beer, ale, or stout with what’s become a Saint Patrick’s Day tradition, I am not going to try to convert you. But if you’ve never acquired a taste for brews and only wine will do, then read on.

Because one of the kindest Irish women I’ve ever known, the mother of a high-school chum, would always serve a bottle of Paul Masson’s Emerald Dry at her table, I always associate it with the quintessential Irish dish, corned beef and cabbage. This flavorful white made from Emerald Riesling is still available, but unfortunately I was not able to find a bottle for this tasting. Nevertheless, its off-dry, rather fruity characteristics are what you might look for if you chose to serve a white with this dish. On the other hand, if you prefer reds, as I do, you want a wine with plenty of fruit and good acidity to stand up to the meat’s heavy salting as well as the peppercorns and bay leaf that are used as part of its curing. In other words, opt for bold rather than subtle, for acidity rather than oak.

Corned beef and cabbage, however, is not the only “boiled supper” that might pose a challenge for wine pairing. There’s the traditional French pot au feu, the Alsatian choucroute, the Italian bollito misto, and of course our own Yankee boiled dinner. All of these dishes are perfect for this time of year—as winter seems to have dug its heels in and spring seems to have pushed the snooze alarm. When selecting wines, either red or white, look for the same characteristics that we did for our corned beef pairings: medium bodied wines, with plenty of forward fruit flavors and good crisp acidity. Let your personal preferences decide between red and white.

As you may have already guessed, we tasted this month's selections with a classically prepared dish of corned beef and cabbage. The only condiment we used was mustard, as horseradish would have posed too difficult a challenge for almost any wine.

We chose twelve wines, seven whites and five reds. All, except one white (which was most likely a bad bottle), were very good with the corned beef. In fact, some were extraordinary.

As is our custom, we tasted the wines first on their own and then sampled them again with our meal.

	2001 Hugel, Cuvee Les Amours, Pinot Blanc, Alsace ($12.99) Very pale straw in color, this Alsatian white has a forward nose of lemon citrus, almond, and butter. On the palate, it's light bodied and crisp, with slightly off-dry lemon and bitter-almond flavors. Well structured, with adequate acidity for dining, it has good length and a creamy finish. It went nicely with the corned beef, serving as a background for the meat's strong flavors. Imported by Frederick Wildman & Sons Ltd., New York, NY.

	2001 Dr. Fischer, Ockfener Bockstein, Riesling Kabinett, Mosel Saar Ruwer ($14.99) Pale straw in color, with tinges of green, this German Riesling has a restrained, mineral nose, complemented by some apple notes. It's light bodied and delivers crisp, red-apple flavors that eventually develop a muscat-like character. It has a light, yet lingering, finish, with hints of apple. It complemented the corned beef like a sauce. Imported by Regal Wine Imports Inc., Marlton, NJ.

	2001 Lolonis, Fume Blanc, Redwood Valley ($13.99) This Californian Sauvignon Blanc, from Mendocino's Redwood Valley, has a very pale yellow-green color that's almost clear. The nose is rather forward, with herbaceous aromas, complemented by fennel and pear notes. There's also a hint of cream. On the palate, it's medium bodied, with a nice mouth feel and good acidity. It has slightly tart, lemon flavors accompanied by a touch of bitter pith. There's also an underpinning of bitter almond. The wine finishes nicely, with bay-laurel notes that linger. It was good with the corned beef and provided a fruit-like contrast.

	2001 Mason, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley ($14.99) Light gold and pale in color, this wine has a big, forward, herbaceous nose, reminiscent of wet grass, along with some pineapple notes. Medium bodied, with a touch of unctuousness, it offers loads of floral flavors that caused one taster to remark, "It's almost like drinking violets." The flavors are somewhat monochromatic, except for an underpinning of lemon citrus. The wine has a good finish that echoes its initial flavors. This bottle was outstanding with food and seemed to blossom to its full potential.

	2001 Matteo Correggia, Roero Arneis, DOC ($14.99) Very pale straw in color, this white, from Italy's Piedmont region, has an attractive, subdued nose of peach, with hints of pear and almond. On the palate, it's medium bodied, with tart grapefruit-pith notes accompanied by some pear flavors as well. It's nicely structured, with good acidity and a nice mouth feel. It has a long finish, with pear and grapefruit-pith notes. This wine was outstanding with the food. The first star of this tasting. Imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.

	2002 Yalumba, Viognier, South Australia ($11.99) Pale yellow in color, this Australian white has a forward, creamy nose with nuances of tropical fruit. It's medium bodied and, given the nose, strikingly tart. Unctuous and creamy on the palate, it offers tart, tropical-fruit flavors, along with some hints of Crenshaw melon. It has a good mouthfeel and adequate acidity for food. It finishes nicely, with tart lemon notes. It was very good with the corned beef and acted like a mint sauce does with lamb. Another star of this tasting. Imported by Negociants USA Inc., Napa, CA.

	2000 Livio Felluga, Sharis, Bianco delle Venezie, IGT ($19.99) This Italian "super white," from one of Friuli's finest producers, is made from Chardonnay and Ribolla Gialla. Gold in color, with a muscat nose, it's totally flat, with musky flavors. The finish is reminiscent of dry sherry. We all thought this bottle had turned, possibly due to poor storage. In fact, a second bottle, from the same store, was almost identical in flavor and finish. A major disappointment. Imported by Clicquot, New York, NY.

	2001 Estancia, Pinnacles Pinot Noir, Monterey ($13.99) Light garnet in color, this wine has good legs and a big, forward nose with a lot of complexity: burnt sugar, jammy raspberry, and underpinnings of earth and mushroom. Light bodied, yet full flavored, it's nicely structured, with supple tannins and good acidity. Its flavors are a counterpoint of tart cherry and wild mushroom. It has plenty of length and a cedary finish. This wine was excellent with the corned beef. Definitely a star of this tasting.

	2000 Terrabiance, Scassino, Chianti Classico DOCG ($19.99) Gemlike ruby in color, this wine has long legs and a huge nose of sugar, cherry, and some iris. Medium bodied and dry on the palate, it delivers tarry, cherry flavors. It's beautifully structured: smooth and elegant, with restrained wood notes. It has a long, lingering finish, with nuances of cedar and tart fruit. A lovely, characterful wine. It was outstanding with the meal, adding spice and dimension. Another star of this tasting. Imported by Empson Inc., Alexandria, VA.

	2001 Bodegas Borsao, Vina Borgia, Grenache, Campo De Borgia ($4.99) Deep ruby in color, this Spanish red, made from 100% Grenache, has gobs of legs and a pretty nose of rich caramel and red berries. Medium bodied, it's well structured, with soft tannins and good acidity for food. Its caramel and red-berry fruit flavors are complemented by nuances of peppery spice. It has a long finish, with burnt-sugar and spice notes. It acted like a berry sauce for the corned beef. Another star of this tasting, especially when you consider its price. Imported by Tempranillo Inc., Mamaroneck, NY.

	2001 Penfolds, Koonunga Hill, Shiraz Cabernet, South Eastern Australia ($11.99) Dark ruby in color, with loads and loads of legs, this wine has a rather wide band of clear glycerine around its outer edge. The nose is subdued, with aromas of red berries and plum, followed by a touch of mushroom at the end. Medium to full bodied, the wine has a silky mouthfeel. It initially delivers toast flavors that are soon followed by a counterpoint of tart fruit or berries and sugar. The flavors linger. It has good length and finishes with tart spice and blue plums. It was very nice with the meat. Imported by PWG Vintners Inc., Napa CA.

	2000 Cline, Zinfandel, California ($9.99) Ruby on color, this wine has good legs. The nose is forward, with crushed black pepper and burnt sugar. On the palate, it's medium bodied and silky. Well structured, with supple tannins, it offers plenty of raspberry, pepper, and chocolate flavors supported by good acidity. The black-pepper flavors linger. It has a nice finish, with tart-cherry notes. "Not your father's Zinfandel," quipped one taster. It was very good with the corned beef.

Before you go, please take part in this month's Survey.

TableWine is a personal website and does not sell any wine. However, many of the wines we review are purchased from our local wine merchants, Wine & Spirit World in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ and The Wine Seller in Ridgewood, NJ. The Wine & Spirit World website may help you locate a good number of our selections. You might also use the database of quality wine merchants at Wine Searcher.com to help find wines that are difficult to locate. Finally, if your local wine store does not carry a wine that you've read about here, don't hesitate to ask them to order a bottle or two for you. For imported wines, you may need to supply them with the name of the importer or distributor.

If you have any suggestions for future tastings, drop us a line at the address below.