The Corned Beef and Cabbage Wine Pairing Challenge

When you think of the traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish, Corned Beef and Cabbage, one automatically thinks of whisky and beer, not wine.   That may have something to do with the fact that Corned Beef and Cabbage is difficult to pair with wines due to the meat’s strong briny flavors and bold spices.   This particular dish requires an off-dry and fruity white wine or a fruit forward and highly acidic red wine.    Sorry, Baileys Irish Cream doesn’t count as a wine.   


The best white wines to pair with Corned Beef and Cabbage include Pinot Blanc (from Alsace), Riesling, Fume Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.  These particular white wines have tropical, citrus and pear flavors, as well as high acids.


Red wines that harmonize well with this dish include Pinot noir, Chianti Classico, Grenache and Shiraz, all of which typically possess dominant fruit flavors and nice acid, which will stand up to the boldness of the beef.    

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