By Libby Brodie
Which wine goes with massive chocolate Easter Eggs? We’ve got a pairing for every Easter Sunday course
The long weekend is going to be here soon, bringing with it Easter Sunday, a celebration that is full of traditional foods and feasting. With so many dishes, it’s a perfect excuse to dive into a few different wine styles. Here are some of my classic pairing choices.
GOOD FRIDAY FISH Though there are various theories about why fish is the dish for Good Friday, the most popular is that it was a day of fasting to honour Christ’s death, where no (warm) blood should be spilled. Livestock may avoid meeting their maker for the day, but it’s less good news for sea creatures. Whether fish and chips or sushi you can’t go wrong with a fresh sparkling wine. My preference is for the pure and classy Champagne AYALA Le Blanc de Blancs (Majestic £69.99), absolute elegance sourced from Premier and Grand Cru vines. The citrus and sea-spray of a sparkling Albariño is also ideal and no one does it better than Mar de Frades with their iconic blue bottle from Galicia in Spain (Noble Green Wines £32).
SPRINGTIME STARTER If, like me, you are serving the joys of spring for your starter with some seasonal asparagus or a goatscheese salad then a dry Riesling is a fantastic choice to elevate the greenery. Famille Hugel produce wines I return to again and again and their Classic Riesling (Majestic £22.99) offers crisp complexity. If you are serving a richer fish dish like scallops or smoked salmon with bread then a bubbly with a little body and toastiness is ideal, such as the Roche Lacour Crémant de Limoux (Laithwaites £15.99).
LAMB A roasted joint of lamb is probably the most traditional of mains for this time of year, predating Christianity as the meal of Jewish Passover. A Bordeaux blend is a classic choice, and I am currently enjoying the wines of critic favourite Chateau George 7. Their 2019 Bordeaux from Fronsac (Davy Wine £32) massively overdelivers in juicy, dark fruited flavour; it’s gracefully honed by an edge of spice and dried petal notes. Winemaker Sally Evans is passionate about creating red wines for vegetarians too, so this would also be a treat with any baked aubergine or mushroom dishes. Georgia is where wine first began yet we often overlook it on the weekly shop but it is always worth experimenting with wine and finding new styles and grapes you enjoy. Qvevris Saperavi (Laithwaites £19.99) is a bold, smooth red made in a traditional Qvevri, a large clay vessel buried underground, to create a wine full of floral aromas and rich forest fruits. Perfect pairing for roast meats.
CHOCOLATE EGGS Though often thought of as a tricky combination with wine, chocolate is about pure pleasure, so do whatever you feel is best when it comes to your Easter eggs. That said, an understood “rule of wine” (and yes, rules are made to be broken) is that the wine should be sweeter than the dessert to complement the dish while not diminishing the wine. Personally, I like my chocolate with effervescence as I find the fizz deliciously cuts through the mouth coating creaminess of chocolate. I also enjoy a rosé with its fresh red berry fruits recreating the iconic pairing of chocolate dipped strawberries in the mouth. Seachange rosé prosecco (Seachange Wine £13.99) is a delight with soft bubbles and summer fruits and they also put their money where their mouth is, funding community led marine conservation projects all around the UK.
HOT CROSS BUNS My sweet treat favourite this time of year, I love my hot cross buns toasted and slathered in butter and jam. I shall be pairing them with Madeira, a fortified wine from the Madeira island of Portugal and one of the longest lasting quality wines ever produced. They last for decades, not that H&H 10-Year-Old Malvasia will in my house (Majestic £23), with its pitch-perfect notes of coffee, caramel and dried fruits in honey. Teatime comfort in a glass.
Read more: Easter is better than Christmas. Here’s why
