Wine Wizard: Wines for Easter!

Wines for Easter

Did you know that wine is mentioned 521 times in the Bible? So now we know the Good Lord intended us to drink wine, we just need to decide which one or ones to choose.

Traditional Easter Menus tend to centre around roasts, leg of spring lamb (buy local!) but sometimes Chicken or Beef are preferred. This begs the question, “Which wine goes best with what?”

Wines for Lamb

Wine is a very personal thing and I would never try to force my opinion onto anyone, however you can only drink Cabernet Sauvignon with roast lamb. It’s not just because it’s my favourite grape, it’s because it works. You need red wines with decent tannin structure, big fruit concentration, minty herbaceous flavours and a finish that can endure as long as the lamb itself. The goal is to have a wine with enough fruit and acidity to handle the robust flavours of the lamb, but not overpower it in the process.

The best ones are Indomita Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile or Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia, if you prefer old world wines you could seek out a good value Red Bordeaux or quality value Rioja like Marques de Caceres Crianza.

Wines for Roast Chicken

The old favourite Roast Chicken is fairly simple to make, and fairly simple to match with wine. When roasted it tends to be quite dry, so the best thing to do is use a wee bit of the wine for the gravy. Swirl out the roasting tray with the wine burning off most of the alcohol. You’ll need a big full bodied tropical Chardonnay, bursting with melons, bananas and mangos. Lightly oaked is best to give an extra complexity to the wine.

If you’re a traditionalist try the beautiful, delicate Macon Lugny (White Burgundy) from the family owned Ropiteau estate. If you prefer the big, full-on, fresh fruit salad it’s got to be Indomita Duette Casablanca Valley Chardonnay or the multiple award winning Wolf Blass Yellow Label Chardonnay. If you need a red fix on Sunday the best for Roast Chicken is Pinot Noir. Branken Hill Marlborough Pinot Noir or Chanson Bourgogne Pinot Noir will deliver silky smooth crushed raspberry and cherry fruits, divine!

Wines for Roast Beef

Good locally reared Northern Irish Beef and all the trimmings, including Yorkshire Puds, with rich red wine and wild mushroom gravy, I can feel an afternoon nap coming on just writing about it!

What to drink? So much choice with beef, if you prefer a peppered sauce you could go for a spicy Shiraz from Australia. Merlot is superb with its plumy earthy aromas. Tempranillo can do the trick with the oaky vanilla and jammy red berry fruits. Then again you could drink Cabernet Sauvignon? Tortoise Shell Bay Shiraz, Marques de la Concordia Tempranillo or Tempus Two Merlot.

Whatever you go for remember two things, enjoy in moderation and enjoy with good friends.

“A good wine begs to be shared”