St. Patrick's Day Wine

As I walked into Balaban's yesterday I thought that I would see some type of special featuring corned beef.
And Chef Scott didn't let me down. There it was on the special sheet, corned beef and .... colcannon.
Colcannon?
As they say, you learn something new every day.
For those of you who are like me, and have no clue what colcannon is, it is a blend of mashed potatoes and cabbage. You can also spice it up with onions, ham or bacon. It's delicious.
So I call my personal chef (and wife), Judy, and ask her if she would make colcannon with our corned beef Monday evening. She made hers with the bacon.
But I'm rambling here about colcannon, when I should be talking wine.
Corned beef is a challenge to pair with wine. It's fatty, salty and funky tasting. Then you have the earthiness of the potatoes and the "I don't know what" of the cabbage.
Why do you think beer is the beverage of choice on St. Patrick's Day?
But, I'm up for this challenge.
First, no big, tannic reds.
Second, no oaky, buttery Chardonnay.
I think those wine styles would clash horribly with the meal.
My short list is Pinot Noir, Champagne and Riesling.
I always choose Pinot Noir when in doubt, so scratch that.
Champagne always does well with salty foods, but Judy isn't as crazy about bubbles as I am.
So Riesling gets the nod.
I just did a newsletter on a great Riesling from Washington State, so that's what I select:
2012 Long Shadows Poet's Leap Riesling - $22.
It was one of the best corned beef dinners we've ever had, and the wine went perfectly.

Tom

PS: I'm so ready for baseball to start!