Easter Wine Pairings

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Tags:Alvarinho,Bordeaux,Chardonnay,Easter,Food & Wine Pairing,Forrest Estate,JNBlog,Pinot Noir,Portugese wine,Rhône,Rosé,Sauvignon Blanc,Sparkling Wine,Spring,Spring Wine,Wine and Food,

Easter is a great time for many people to get together with family and friends and have a wonderful meal. However, with the many different dishes being served, it’s a challenge to choose the right wine to pair with each one. Here are some suggestions for the various options that you may go with food wise. Whether you’re serving roast poultry, lamb or something a little different, we have a number of ideas to help you choose. Of course, feel free to drop in to the store or get in touch and one of our retail team would be more than happy to give you more personalised pairings. 

 

Apéritif

There’s something inherently celebratory about kicking the day off with some sparkling. A personal favourite of ours is Nadal Brut Original NV. This Corpinnat is a blend of Parellada, Xarel-Lo and Macabeu, all organically grown and aged on lees in bottle for over 30 months. A great glass to start the meal with.

 

Spring salads

With its bracing acidity and herbal edge with light asparagus notes, the Quinta de Chocapalha Sauvignon Blanc would make a perfect accompaniment to salads such as Greek salads, Spring tabbouleh or grilled asparagus and spinach salad. This Portuguese producer has been making staff favourite wines for years and this is no exception.

 

Smoked Salmon

Rosé is an often-overlooked wine category yet is such a food friendly option. To go with some smoked salmon we have selected Love by Leoube Rose 2022, a Provencal rosé , noted for its dryness, it has red berry, citrus and fresh garden herb notes, the nearby sea gives it an undercurrent of salinity. This adaptable wine will pair brilliantly any fish dish.

Roast Chicken/ Turkey

Softer reds tend to go deliciously with roasted poultry, think of things like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Something like Hesketh Unfinished Business Pinot Noir 2023 with its delightful red fruited notes and touch of sweet spice will pair excellently with roast  turkey or chicken.

If a white wine is your preference, you can easily go with a crisp, zippy Sauvignon Blanc or Alvarinho/ Albariño.  Equally you can pair it with something more fuller bodied such as the Neudorf Tiritiri Chardonnay 2019. Displaying salinity, florals, herbaceousness and stone fruits this rounder white wine has the ability to hold its own with the entire roast meal.

Vegetable Risotto

For a vegetarian option, something a bit different for the day other than nut roast and vegetable wellington, a luscious vegetable risotto might be a lovely option for something different. In keeping with something different the Chateau Picoron Tattarrattat 2023, a 100% Merlot wine from Côtes de Castillon in Bordeaux would be our top pick. Normally a fuller bodied wine, this Merlot is made without the use of oak and vinified using carbonic maceration. Tattarrattat oozes with tart cherry, redcurrant and red apple notes, it has the freshness and the acidity to go with any vegetable dish. It also happens to be Vegan certified.

Roast Lamb

A rich, full-bodied red is often the obvious choice for roast lamb, a quality Bordeaux or Tempranillo like Rioja or Ribera del Duero are two other classic pairings with lamb. Another option is a Côtes Du Rhône. Our choice this Easter is the Daumen Cotes Du Rhone 2020 made by the owner of the prestigious Domaine de la Vieille Julienne and made in a more provencal style. This blend of grenache, syrah, cinsault and mourvèdre, displays notes of raspberry, blueberry and spiced plum, black pepper and garrigue herbs, a beautiful match for roast lamb.

Pavlova

With the turn of the season and the longer days, a fresher dessert is always appealing at Easter. Pavlova, the traditional dessert enjoyed for years in the UK and Ireland at special occasions, actually originates from New Zealand. To pair with it we have the  Forrest Estate Botrytised Riesling 2018 from the Wairau Valley. Notes of orange marmalade, tropical fruits like pineapple, papaya and mango with an undercurrent of sweet Asian spices like ginger pair up well with a fresh fruit pavlova.

 

We have also put together a Cracking Easter mixed case with a selection of wines for all of your Easter needs you can find it here.

Enjoy and Happy Easter!

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