It’s good to be green, unless that involves consuming large quantities of E142 that is. This readily available green food colouring, known invitingly as Green S, puts the colour back into canned peas and also dyes the gallons of beer and lemonade drunk in honour of Saint Patrick during his day of festivities on March 17th. But being Irish for the day needn’t involve pushing a chemical banned in Scandinavia through your system – why not pour out some naturally green refreshment instead?
The alarming green of freshly pressed Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grape juice calms down into a lighter hue following fermentation into wine. The inherent greenness of these top selling varieties make them a good choice for an Irish themed day and their versatility means they’ll match all manner of party snacks and meals. Try the Co-op’s Australian Lime Tree Sauvignon Blanc (£5.75, down to £4.75 from March 18) if you want a wine with an inviting pineapple aroma nicely balanced with pear and melon flavours.
Perhaps getting in a bottle of Douglas Green Chardonnay (SAWinesOnline £6.59) is a bit of an overkill on the green theme. But this South African wine smells so invitingly of melon and tastes wonderfully sweetly-sour that we’ll forgive it: gooseberry juice with a dash of butterscotch makes a pleasant change from the many forgettable Chardonnays.
If you’re planning on serving an Irish stew then the accompanying drink choice must really fall into one of two choices: wine or tea.
Lemon tasting wine (with a green coloured tinge of course) will cut through some of the stew’s meaty richness and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc almost always works, but to be a truly Gaelic meal it really ought to be tea. Irish tea at that. Blended to be slightly stronger than English breakfast, Irish tea brews into a malty beverage that needs the addition of milk to tone down the tannins. Buy Barry’s Green Blend Irish Breakfast tea from www.youririshshop.com for authenticity.
PG Wine Reviews
Aldi Andarra Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2013
£3.99 Aldi
Creamy pineapple and grapefruit flavours. Great value.
Co-op Fairtrade Argentinean Torrontes Chardonnay 2014
£4.99 Co-op
Fruity and refreshing flavours of orange, lemon and apple.
Freeman’s Bay Winemaker’s Reserve New Zealand Pinot Gris 2013
£5.99 Aldi
Melon and honey flavours.
Curator’s Choice South African Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay & Semillon 2014
£6.99 Co-op (offer price ends March 17, then £7.99)
Sherbet lemon and grilled pineapple in a glass.
McGuigan Classic Australian Semillon Blanc 2012
£7.99 Tesco
Lots of stuff going on here: apple, pear, lemon zest, kiwi and a bit of peach flavour.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Italian Gavi 2014
£8 Sainsbury’s
Tinned pear and lemon flavours. It really is a very good wine.
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© Paula Goddard 2015 www.paulagoddard.com
