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ST. PATRICK’S DAY: Oysters & Champagne

March 5, 2012 at 5:17 am · Filed under Entertaining, Fish-Seafood-Caviar, St. Patrick's Day, Wine

Oysters and bubbly are not just for New Year’s Eve. Oysters on the half shell are a favorite in Ireland.

While they’re popular bar food with a beer, you can create a real celebration with sparkling wine.

Whether with Champagne or the lighter and more affordable Cava and Prosecco sparklers, invite friends over to toast to St. Patrick’s Day.

Alexandra Shapiro, owner of the Flex Mussels restaurants in New York City, offers these tips:

Pair body with body. Meatier oysters complement full-bodied sparkling wines.

Briny oysters like drier wines. Crisp, dry sparkling wines, such as Cava and Prosecco, pair well with more briny oysters.

Avoid sweeter sparkling wines. Save the Asti Spumante and sparkling rosé for desserts.

Skip the cocktail sauce! Sipping bubbly with oysters will cleanse your palate so you can truly taste the oysters’ subtle flavors.

Champagne and oysters. Photo courtesy
Champagne Bureau.

The best oysters we know are from Willapa Oysters, which are harvested to order and overnighted to you.

With an abundance of protein and minimal calories, the bubbly-bivalve combination is much healthier cocktail party option than, say, sugar-laden Margaritas and fat-laden nachos.

Forget the old wives’ tale that oysters are best when there’s an “r” in the month. This advice came from the days before refrigeration—much less overnight shipping—when oysters spoiled more quickly in the warmer months.

Everything you need to know about oysters.

Top off your knowledge of sparkling wines.

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