Wine and Dine
Great Expectations
Let It Fly In Style
By HOLLY HOWELL

March is famous for a holiday that beer drinkers worldwide anxiously await. St. Patrick’s Day was originally created to honor a likeable fellow who broughtChristianity to Ireland in the fifth century.  The first official SPD parade took place in New York on March 17, 1762.  Today, St. Patty’s is celebrated in more countries around the world than any other holiday. You heard correctly. It is a day when everyone, everywhere can be Irish.

However, to all of my wine-loving friends, there is no cause to feel left out. Now, wait. That does not mean that St. Patrick’s Day is an excuse to put green food coloring in your expensive chardonnay. Let’s look at some other ways that we might be able to fit into this Irish celebration.

There is no question that Irish tradition is a mainstay of the beer and whiskey industries, but you don’t hear a lot about fine Irish wines. One reason for that is the location of the country. The bulk of Ireland lies north of the fifty-second-degree parallel, making it a wee bit too chilly for grapevines to grow and produce good fruit. That being said, there are still a small handful of wineries in the southern part of the country. Unfortunately, these wines are hard to find here.

So, for that reason, some of the biggest Irish influences in wine-making history occurred outside of their own country. You may even be a fan of one of these wines, and not even know it.

Sure and begora, here is the tale of the “Order of the WineGeese.”  (This name is based on another historic group called the Wild Geese, which refers to the Irish who fled their native land after the Battle of Kinsale in the seventeenth century). The “WineGeese” are a real group of Irish wine makers who realized that they needed to travel to the end of the rainbow to find their pot o’ gold grapes. That meant leaving their native country. And that they did. Many of these pioneering Irish families played significant and enduring roles in some of the finest wine-making regions of the world.

For example, Bordeaux, France. The famous wines of Château Phélan-Ségur (St-Estèphe) boast Irish heritage. The Count of Segur was French, but Irishman Bernard Phelan of Tipperary owned the property. WineGoose member Michel Lynch founded Lynch-Bages (Pauillac), and Mark Kirwan of Galway established Chateau Kirwan (Margaux). These are no sloucher wines. Not to mention, the Barton family (Léoville-Barton and Langoa-Barton of St-Julien)), who also formed Barton & Guestier, one of the largest wine exporters in France.

Just north of Bordeaux, lies the region of Cognac.  You may recognize the Hennessy name. The family hails from the county of Cork.

California has Irish ties as well.  In Napa Valley, the shamrocks are singing at Sullivan Vineyards, Flora Springs, Mayacamas, Chateau Montelena, and the Corley Family estate. In Sonoma, look for Murphy-Goode, Limerick Lane and Kenwood (owned by the Lee family).  And don’t forget about the crisp, cool whites and rich, ruby reds of Concannon Winery in Livermore Valley.  Just to name a few.

WineGeese families are all over Jerez, Spain, so feel free to sip on some San Patricio Fino Sherry. And in Australia, the leprechauns make wonderful stuff at Leeuwin Estate (Margaret River), McGuigan Winery (Pokolbin), Tyrrell Vineyard (Hunter Valley), and Penfolds (Barossa Valley).

So you see, we wine folk have much to choose from on St. Patrick’s Day. And when it comes to a complement to corned beef and cabbage, you just can’t find a friendlier wine than New York State riesling (and yes, most come conveniently packaged in a tall, green bottle).  Tu Ra Lu Ra Lura.

Certified sommelier Holly Howell teaches wine and food classes for Casa Larga Vineyards, Rochester Institute of Technology, and her parents’ cooking school in Mendon, New York. Contact her at wineanddine@mountainhomemag.com.

Get Cooking With Cornelius in Corning

Cornelius “Neal” O’Donnell, founder and director of the 171 Cedar Arts Culinary Program in Corning, has dozens of classes scheduled for foodies or those who want to be kitchen whizzes. Here’s part of his bona fides from the Cedar Arts Web site:
O’Donnell spent thirty-five years at Corning Inc., eighteen of them as spokesman for their Consumer Products Division. He is a food writer for The Leader in Corning, and past food writer for the Elmira Star-Gazette, and he studied with the late James Beard and Marcella Hazan.  In addition to being a contributor to several cookbooks, O’Donnell is author of Cooking With Cornelius, winner of the Tastemaker Award as one of the year’s three best general cookbooks.  O’Donnell has been a member of the 171 faculty for more than ten years.

A class on classic middle-eastern dishes will kickoff April, and if this offering sounds tasty, go to their Web site (www.171cedararts.com) for a complete schedule of classes. Space is limited in this and other classes, so register soon.

Tastes of the Eastern Mediterranean (Maza)
April 5 with instructor Aida Wellington
 
Elmira caterer Wellington, together with her mother and sister, opened a superb Lebanese restaurant in Elmira in 1997 and maza is the Lebanese equivalent of tapas. Learn how to make her family’s most popular Lebanese and Mediterranean-influenced dishes, such as tabouli, hummus, baba ganouj and falafel with tahini sauce. An appropriate sweet will cap off the class.