OK, so what would YOU pair with corned beef (boiled then coated with a mustard and brown sugar glaze and baked), boiled potatoes and cabbage?
A really simple dish to make for a cool winter's evening, and I thought it paired well with the wine: a 1999 Ridge Lytton Estate Grenache (blended with 17% Zin and 5% Petite Sirah.) The Grenache had a deep, chocolatey and leathery earthiness - along with dark fruit flavors. The pairing may have been a little better had the Grenache been a little younger and fruitier, but I wasn't complaining.
Why am I mentioning this Grenache from another winery? Other than I am a Ridge fan, it's because we recently tasted our 2002 Sierra Foothills Grenache. When this wine was first released it was all bright fruit flavors and aromas. Now, it is on its way to the same kind of earthiness that a Grenache gets after a few years. I'm pretty excited about that!
I'm sure Grenache is great with corned beef, but is it sacrilege that I prefer a nice Irish beer? Being raised in an Irish household and being dragged from bar to bar for St. Patrick's Day to dance as a kid when I was an Irish Step Dancer kind of drilled the combo into my brain!
Posted by: Megan | February 22, 2007 at 02:24 PM
Not sacrilege at all! It's just that on that night, I wanted a wine to drink with my corned beef. And, um, through some poor planning on my part, I was fresh out of Guinness...
Posted by: el jefe | February 22, 2007 at 09:37 PM