Easter is not just about chocolate eggs, of course. Easter is also about family and friends getting together too. Often, for a feast of riches for either lunch or dinner…. Or the lunch that turns into dinner! However, the importance of choosing what wines to drink at Easter shouldn’t be ignored. It can make all your hard work shine, after all.
Either way, it can be a difficult choice as to what wine you should be serving with dinner, lunch or just eggs. Here are some tips on choosing the best wines for the occasion broken into two parts. The savoury… and the chocolatey & cheesy!
Click here to jump straight to the sweeter side of the Festive meal: What wines for Easter? Chocolate & cheese & beyond…
Part 1: The savoury side of Easter wine….
Wines to drink at Easter: Lamb & Duck
One of the staple dishes on the table at Easter is Spring lamb. With the Romney Marsh lamb particularly prized by some. Whether you love lashings of gravy, or hasselback potatoes or just some traditional roasties, one great wine to complement this would be Pinot Noir. Another would be an Argentinian Malbec.
Incidentally, Pinot Noir is a very good accompaniment if you are going to have duck instead of lamb. Duck is a classic match with Pinot due to duck often being served with cherries, a fruit character that is very often found in Pinot Noir. The flavours work very well together and the Pinot Noir does not overwhelm the duck in any way. Another great match to duck, particularly with some spice would be an Australian Sparkling red wine that will really turn heads this Easter.
In both duck and lamb, it is important that your wine choice has the acid balance to cut through these fatty meats. This is another reason that Pinot Noir traditionally has been enjoyed with these treats. It makes sense then that so too does Gamay. Meaning that this is a great time to be enjoying Beaujolais. Particularly, Beaujolais-Villages or Fleurie, Morgon or any other named communes.
Other great reds that work particularly well with lamb, and some duck dishes too, are those younger wines from the Spanish region of Rioja, labelled ‘Joven’ or ‘Crianza’, or a more medium bodied wine that is just shy of full bodied. Another suggestion would be a red Bordeaux with lamb.
What to look for!
Lamb & duck are fatty meats with more delicate flavours. More medium bodied wines work very well here to match the flavour intensity. The wines need higher acid to cut through the fattiness of the meat. Higher tannins also help but some tannic wine is too powerfully flavoured for these meats.
Wines to drink at Easter: What about Gammon?
For those who choose Gammon for their feast, those Pinot Noir and Gamay recommendations will still work very well. Gammon is also a meat that matches well with fruitiness but needs lighter flavours than many darker meats.
Another style of wine that will go very well with Gammon is a medium bodied red wine from Grenache / Garnacha wine. Alternatively, a fuller bodied oaked white wine as these still have the right intensity to match the flavours of this meat. Although, don’t forget that there are some sparkling wines that will also be an excellent choice. A rosé sparkling wine will certainly work well. However, a sparkling wine such as the English fizz, Hattingley Classic Reserve may pair will if you serve a lighter style gravy.
Those white wines will also often add a note of citrus to compliment the dish. White wines such as white wines from Rioja, or Rioja Blanco, or an oaked Bordeaux Blanc or Bourgogne Blanc. You could also try a Chardonnay from Australia.
What to look for!
Gammon is another more delicately flavoured meat and more medium bodied red wines work very well here to match the flavour intensity. A citrus and smoky oak note in a fully bodied, oaked white wine will also be complementary to Gammon’s flavours.
Wines to drink at Easter: Fish & Vegetarian dishes
Fish is an inseparable part of the Easter tradition. Whether that is pink fish or white fish. Steamed fish or roasted fish. And seafood. White wines traditionally go well with fish. Particularly if you have a citrusy lemon sauce. Sprinkle over some roasted flaked almonds and you have a very good match for a Chardonnay wine. Even better, you could turn this dish into a celebration with the pop of a cork. In fact, when you are considering the best wines to drink at Easter, don’t forget bubbles!
Vintage Champagne, or vintage sparkling wines from England, Australia or Spain. Look for a traditional method sparkling over most Prosecco wines though, as most Prosecco wines will not have the depth of flavour for a creamy flavourful sauce. Prosecco wines will work with lighter fish dishes though. If you want a recommendation of an English fizz, then the Chapel Down Sparkling wines or Hattingley Classic Reserve will be good choices here.
When you think about it, fish is often served with a wedge of lemon, so it makes sense that a higher acid, crisp white wine will work very well.
By the way, if you used a spiced rub on your fish, you can introduce some bolder flavours. A Gamay blend here would be a good choice as it is fruity enough to work with the spiciness and stronger flavours.
Vegetarian dishes also have similar requirements of needed slightly more delicately flavoured and textured wines so as to not overpower the food. If your vegetarian dish is on the robust side of flavour, then those reds and roses mentioned above are excellent options.
What to look for!
Because fish & seafoods tends to have lighter flavours, if that fish is poached or pan fried, a white wine is a good option. Bold flavoured reds are too intense and the not as refreshing as a white. Any white that you choose for fish should have a higher acid content. Pink fish has more flavour so a rose can work well here.
Of course, don’t limit your choice of white wine to Chardonnay. Here is a selection of great white wines that will be very good matched with either fish or vegetarian dishes. All of these would also be superb to drink as an aperitif as well.
For a baked or smoked salmon or trout, you can also try a rose wine, even a sparkling rose wine. These wines have the texture for either lunch or dinner. If you have added a robustly flavoured rub to your fish, or your grilled vegetables, then a lighter style red wine will work too. Again, lighter Pinot Noirs or Gamay red wines would work with these dishes.
It goes without saying that if you are looking for the best wines to drink at Easter, we are only too happy to help.
Click here to jump straight to the sweeter side of the Festive meal: What wines for Easter? Chocolate & cheese & beyond…
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