Saint Joseph's Day: An Italian Tradition

Often overshadowed by a more lively, drinking holiday, the Feast of Saint Joseph falls on March 19th, two days after the day honoring that other saint who always wears green. Dating way back to the 10th century when the feast day was established, it is dominantly celebrated by Italians as St. Joseph was the patron saint of Sicily.

As zeppoles, that scrumptious Italian pastry consisting of a ball of fried dough filled with creamy custard and topped with powdered sugar and a cherry for good measure which is synonymous with the feast day, are a bit hard to come by here in Charleston, SC, we at The Wine Shop are going to celebrate the best way we know how: by drinking wine from the northern Rhone appellation St. Joseph.

Yes, French wine on an Italian holiday. We're good with it!

In the 30 mile stretch of St. Joseph in the Rhone Valley of eastern France, comes a Syrah-based red wine that can be blended with Marsanne and Roussanne if the producer so chooses. Due to the large expanse of the region and how the soil changes from clay/granite in the north to a more acidic granite with marl in the south, the wines tend to change in style depending on both where and whom you get it from. The northern wines of St. Joseph tend to be richer and softer, with hints of violet, black olive and white pepper. As you go further south, the wines start getting spicier with that aforementioned violet shining through with even more floral notes and that white pepper becomes more of a black peppercorn. Either way, north or south, St. Joseph always has great values in the region.

Come on down and drink some with us!

Salud,
The Wine Shop Team