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By Jocelyn Doyle
With Easter falling early this year on April 9th, many families will be planning a special dinner to celebrate — making it a great time to match your menu with some quality French wines. In this article, we share our recommendations for the best wines for your Easter dinner.
Generally, robust red wines go well with lamb, but in some cases these may overpower your dish. Decide first how you’re serving your lamb, and pair your wine accordingly.
A classic roast lamb — rack, leg or roasted lamb cutlets — will pair well with a wide variety of red wines. Bolder reds will stand up well to lamb, especially when prepared medium-to-well and served with richer accompaniments like a potato gratin or a dark, sticky gravy. Try a Bordeaux blend based on merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
Young, spring lamb has a delicate flavour and is often served pink, needing a lighter wine; in this case, a full-bodied red will over-power your meat. Pinot noir is a fantastic choice for lamb like this, particularly if you’re serving your lamb pink and with more delicate flavours like fresh spring greens.
Lamb chops served with seasonal root vegetables make a great match for classic “GSM” (grenache, syrah, merlot) blends from the Rhône Valley.
While the usual rule is to pair red meat with red wine, it’s important to remember that you should always be guided by your personal preference. If you’d rather drink white wine than red, go for it! Our recommendation in this case is to steer clear of sharper whites like sauvignon blanc or riesling, opting instead for a richer white like a viognier or oaked chardonnay.
Rich, salty roast ham with a sweet and sticky glaze will be well balanced by wines with generous acidity and some bold fruit.
The good news is that ham is a versatile option for wine pairing and can work very well with either red or white wine.
You might not know much about cabernet Franc, but its red fruit and pepper notes will pair nicely with your Easter ham. Light and fruity, Beaujolais is another great match.
A dry riesling or chenin blanc makes a good pairing for baked, glazed ham. If you’re on the hunt for a good crowd pleaser, the light, neutral flavours of pinot gris won’t overpower your ham, while its acidity provides a good counterpoint to the ham’s salty taste.
As a general guideline, oily fish like salmon tends to work best with full-bodied white wines. However, depending on the recipe you’re using, salmon can also work well with certain rosés or light-bodied reds with low tannins.
If you’re having a smoked salmon starter, we recommend you choose a dry, mineral white wine with some freshness and good acidity. A Loire Valley sauvignon blanc, Pouilly-Fumé or Sancerre will do the trick nicely.
To match a roast salmon main course — especially if there’s any sort of rich, creamy sauce involved — you need a big white that can stand up to those flavours: think oak-aged chardonnay or a good viognier.
You sure can! The important thing is to choose a lighter red with low tannins. Beaujolais — made from the gamay grape — is ideal.
Let’s be honest — it wouldn’t be Easter without chocolate! Here are some suggestions for French wines to match that chocolate dessert.
In general, you’ll want a dark, full-bodied red wine for your chocolate dessert. Cabernet sauvignon, syrah and merlot can all work well; this rich, spicy syrah is our favourite choice.
Matching white wine with chocolate isn’t easy — but Champagne makes a classic pairing and, of course, is a very special way to wrap up the celebrations. Go for an off-dry, complex Champagne to ensure it’s not too acidic.
Order now from La Kav Wines to ensure your wine is delivered before Easter! We always aim to have your order delivered within three days.
In this article for the La Kav
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