This is part two of our Easter special.
Part one was all about the savoury side of Easter feasting! And what wines for Easter should you choose. Please click here to read the best Wines to drink at Easter.
If you are planning a get together or just something to have in the fridge in case friends drop in, you will not just need something for the main meal, but also something for cheese. Or… you simply want something to enjoy with a chocolate egg!
Read on for our recommendations!
Part 2: The cheesy, chocolatey side of Easter….
Say Cheese!
Wines to go with your cheese course, or a cheese based anti-pasti platter, usually are not that different from the rest of the meal. And it really doesn’t matter what order of the meal you serve your cheeses. So, when choosing what wines with Easter treats it is natural to include the cheese course as well.
As a rule of thumb:
Fresh cheeses such as goats cheese go very well with sparkling white wine and very crisp whites. Even a dry rose will work here.
It is the acidity in these fresh cheeses you need to match with an acidic wine.
Bloomy cheese such as Brie and Camembert go very well with Champagne and sparkling white wines, lightly oaked white wines, dry rose and some pinot noirs.
It is the fattiness in these cheese that needs acid, but also they are robustly flavoured so you need a wine to match.
Mature hard cheese such as Cheddar, Gruyere & Manchego will match with red wines such as Rioja, malbec or a red with some tannins.
Hard cheeses have well formed proteins which will soften tannins in wine. Because of this softening, you need wine with tannins to keep that wine balanced with the cheese.
Blue cheese such as the English favourite Stilton always goes well with a sweet wine or a dry red wine. Sweet wines include Port, Sauternes, Australian Fortified Muscat, or even a PX Sherry.
Blue cheeses are saltier. Therefore, that saltiness matches really well with sweet wines and with tannic red wines. Salt softens tannins in wines.
Wine & Cheese
Probably the best rule of thumb for matching wines with cheese is that the fresher the cheese, white wine is best. By ‘fresh’ we mean the cheesemaking process, of course. The harder and more mature the cheese, red wine is a good match.
If you are serving a sweet dessert wine with your pudding, that will work very well with your blue cheeses. Traditionally Stilton was served with Port or Sauternes because of that sweet / salty combination. But also because when you consider that Stilton goes very well with chutney or fruity pastes such as Membrillo, the sweetness and the tannins in the Port are a match.
If you are serving a fresher cheese or a bloomy cheese as an appetiser, then a quality sparkling wine will work very well. For example a chunk of Brie or Camembert, some fresh goat’s cheese or a marinated feta is a great way to start your meal.
What wines for Easter: What is for dessert?
Choosing a wine for the dessert course for Easter does need some thought. The lighter and fruitier the flavours, the lighter the dessert wine.
For instance, a fruity tart served with a dollop of thick cream will be a delightful match with a Sauternes from France or a Moscato d’Asti from Italy. A richer bread & butter pudding will match with a Sauternes or an Ice Wine, but would be even better with a new world Botrytis Riesling or Semillon. A Hungarian Tokaji Aszu or a Tokaji late harvest dessert wine is superb here. Even a PX Sherry will work well.
Warm chocolate fondants with a gooey centre need a rich fortified dessert wine. As does a cheesecake with honeycomb and chocolate crumbs or a gingernut biscuits in either the base or on top. These desserts are intense and heavily textured and the fortified Muscat style wines work incredibly well here.
What about Hot cross buns & Simnel cake?
Because hot cross buns are light and fluffy, a sweet style sparkling wine (‘extra dry’ or above) works well. However, either an off dry white wine such as some Alsace Gewürztraminers or an off dry German Riesling is delicious. These are good choices for wines for Easter hot cross buns. The spices used highlights traditionally made sparkling wines and grapes such as Gewurztraminer.
Simnel cake is heavier and richer in texture and flavour. Especially with that marzipan. For this I would recommend either a Hungarian Tokaji, or a lush PX Sherry or again, a fortified Muscat wine.
What wines for Easter: Eggs! Glorious Eggs!
Yes, it is ok to admit you still love Easter eggs. Now, what wine to match with chocolate? Of course, the right dessert wine will be excellent here. So would a sparkling red. Particularly for milk and dark chocolate eggs. A dark chocolate egg will need a wine such as a Port or Fortified red wine. The flavours match as dark chocolate is fruity.
Milk chocolate is more nutty in flavour and therefore a fortified wine such as an Australian fortified Muscat or Topaque, or a PX Sherry from Spain works well. Non fortified, white dessert wines may lack the concentration to match with anything but white chocolate. Mind you, if you after looking for wines for Easter eggs made of white chocolate, then a Sauternes is one to consider.
A sparkling red wine, like the d’Arenberg Peppermint Paddock, has sweetly ripe berry fruit aromas and flavours. These are classic matches to chocolate, and many other flavours. That sweetness of the ripe fruit in this case, is also balanced and smoothed with some residual sugar.
In fact, a sparkling red wine will also be a good match with lamb or duck.
(Editor’s tip!!! Sparkling red wine from Australia is a good wine as an aperitif with no food at all! )
Please click here to read Part 1: The best Wines to drink at Easter, the savoury side.
Comments are closed