Fancy a drink? Our drinks columnist Sam Wylie-Harris joins in the Gaelic fun, pairing spirits and wines to a traditional Irish menu ahead of St Patrick's Day.

Slainte to St.Paddy

St Patrick's Day celebrations rarely come in small measures. This annual festival is all about feasting, fun, and finding the perfect excuse to raise a glass to the land of the shamrock.

A whiskey from Bushmills is a good place to start too. Their long history of distilling dates back to 1608 and its famous single malt, Bushmills Malt Irish Whiskey 10 Year Old (£27.25, 70cl, www.thewhiskyexchange.com), is sweet and soft with butterscotch and honey notes, a touch of sherry wood and lingering spice. It's also triple-distilled and peat-free, and the ideal match for simple Irish nosh, like a plate of whiskey-glazed corned beef and cabbage.

Pot still whiskey, a blend of malted and unmalted barley, produces a more intense, heavier style of spirit. Made in a pot still, it's also triple-distilled (this type is unique to Ireland, whereas Scottish whisky is double-distilled) and the pure, full flavours really stand out in Writers Tears Pot Still Irish Whiskey (£28, 70cl, Marks & Spencer). A fitting name for a country so rich in arts and literature, Writers Tears is aged in flame charred bourbon barrels, is slightly sweet with rich fruit, oak and caramel notes on the long, fruity finish and would be delicious slightly diluted with a side dish of creamy colcannon (mash potatoes and cabbage).

Meanwhile, Green Spot Pot Still (£36.45, 70cl, Waitrose) is matured in old and new bourbon and sherry casks, and it is delightfully rich and peppery with spice, apple and clove notes, and a fruity sweetness finishing with some sherry nuttiness.

One of the many lucky charms of the Emerald Isle is its rugged coast and freshly caught seafood, so to wash down a plate of Dublin Bay prawns, why not try a white wine from Galicia in north-west Spain, a place which boasts an equally dramatic coastline?

The godello is one of the region's most exciting grapes, sometimes blended with palomino to achieve a breezy, minerally white with a beguiling, saline quality. Try Las Minas del Sil Godello Palomino 2012, Spain (£9.99, www.laithwaites.co.uk) and you can almost hear the crashing waves.

For nibbling on some soda bread, another Irish favourite, a South American cabernet sauvignon made from old, gnarled vines will complement Irish beef stew or beef and Guinness pie. Rich, smooth and plummy, try Domaine Vistalba Vinalba Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Mendoza, Argentina (£9.99, Waitrose) with classical blackberry and bramble fruits and a good structure to suit thick sauces.

For rounding off the meal with a good Irish cheese board (and perhaps more soda bread), a rustic red from south-west France such as Plaimont Producteurs AOC Madiran Reserve des Tuguets 2010, France (£11.99, Tesco) will complement with its concentrated, plummy flavours, firm tannins, anise and mint on the savoury finish.

However, for sporting fans worried a Madiran may not bode well with the Six Nations clash between Ireland and France on St Paddy's weekend, Innis & Gunn have released their seasonal Irish Whiskey Finish (£1.99, 33cl, Tesco) to mark the celtic connection between Ireland and Scotland. A sturdy stout at 7.4% abv, made from Scottish malt matured over Irish whiskey-infused oak, it's earthy and hoppy with a rich, malty taste, ending with an oaky sweetness on the creamy mouthfeel - a very fine alternative to a good, old-fashioned Guinness.

:: Best buy

Bright white... versatile and often affordable, South African chenin blanc such as Zalze Reserve Chenin Blanc 2012, South Africa (£9.99, Sainsbury's) is overflowing with yellow apple and pineapple flavours, and its rich style and freshness make it a top value vino with seafood, white meat and Asian dishes.

:: Liquid news

Oriental love affair continues to fizz... China's thirst for sparkling wine has soared from the chalky soils of Champagne to the beautiful hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, to the province of Treviso in the north-east of Italy - home of Prosecco. In fact, from 2010 to 2012, exports of Italian spumante to Asia increased by 78.9% and according to Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Consortium, and in response, it has now launched a Chinese language website.

They say: "China and Hong Kong represent the most promising foreign markets for its development abroad with a current market share of 1.2 million euros."

Asian consumers can visit www.prosecco.it/cn to learn more about the history, culture and beauty of the region and the producers of this fresh, fruity sparkle.