Perfect Pairings this Easter

Be it a plethora of chocolate eggs, or a plate stashed high with fragrant spring lamb, wine writer Angela Mount has just the right selection of wines to make your Easter special…

With slightly less fanfare than Christmas, Easter has easily become the second most important wine-buying occasion of the year. I love Easter. It’s an important family event, but has a more relaxed feel, with far less of the pressure of the Christmas period. It’s all about children, chocolate and relaxation.

However, there’s still planning to be done, and this year, as I write, we have the added uncertainty of whether we will be enjoying the first weak rays of spring sunshine, or being battered by ‘mini beast of the East stage 3’. Whether you’re welcoming guests or whipping up a lavish Easter Sunday brunch, fizz is always a good place to start. Champagne and high-quality Prosecco are the safe bets, but why not step out of the comfort zone, and celebrate our own English heritage, with one of the many English sparkling wines that are currently flying the flag and staking their claim as world-quality sparkling wine, frequently beating Champagne in blind tasting competitions. Made in the same way, and with the same grape blend as Champagne, these English fizzes are true superstars.

It doesn’t get much better than a treasured gold medal at the International Wine Challenge, so tuck into a few bottles of Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvée NV (£29.50) the prized owner of this accolade, made at an eco-friendly winery in nearby Hampshire, with its golden hue, mellow, baked apple and cream character and rich, biscuity, lingering depth. Or pop over to Devon to try Lyme Bay, Blanc de Noirs 2014 (£26.50); fresh and lively, packed with pomegranate and red berry fruit, with hints of green apple - exuberant in its freshness and the perfect apéritif.

For white wines, look for versatile whites that can ease their way through the Easter feast. Smoked salmon is a classic starter, so pick smooth whites which can sashay smoothly through the feast, especially if turkey is on the menu. My instinct here is to head for a smooth, elegant Chardonnay with creamy warmth, but bright, crisp fruit and verve. It doesn’t get more classic than Chablis, with its cool elegance, purity of flavour and edge of steely splendour; always a thoroughbred A lister.

Pick either Chablis Defaix 2016 (£17.95), or Chablis Louis Michel 2015 (£18.95), for vibrant, crisp, stylish, and complex offerings with poise and depth, which are bound to please.  Time to splash out? Then opt for the simply outstanding Domaine Louis Michel Chablis Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2015 (£30.00); tasting more like a top Grand Cru, its top-notch balance of rich, creamy depth and steely finesse sets it apart with charismatic polish and sheer class

Sticking with the Burgundian theme, slightly further south, and imbued with ripe, russet apple and toasted hazelnut allure, is the stunningly excellent value Domaine Paquet Macon-Fuissé 2017, an absolute steal at £15.50. For less classic, but equally bodacious chardonnay, head to the southern hemisphere; for those of you who still recoil from Chardonnay, due to the heyday of the over oaked Aussie brands, please give this much-loved grape variety another try, it’s a whole different ball game now, with pure, exotic fruit and citrus-driven styles abounding, with peach, pear, and creaminess to the fore. Australia’s Are You Game? Chardonnay 2015 (£12.95), and New Zealand’s Carrick Chardonnay 2015 (£16.95) are testament to this, infused with a delightful clarity of fruit and fresh vibrancy.

Spring lamb is the classic Easter showstopper, so smooth, silky, medium-bodied reds are the order of the day. Lamb has a natural sweetness, cooked simply with a dusting of rosemary, or stuffed with herbs or dried fruit and spices. There are many options here. Rioja is an absolute classic, with Ramón Bilbao Vinedos de las Alturas 2014 (£13.95), one of the best deals around, its warm, dark berry and sweet vanilla edge oozing irresistible softness and charm – dangerously moreish, and will see you through the day. The sweet violet and black pepper spice style of Rhône wines are another good option, with Domaine de la Janasse Côtes du Rhône 2016 (£12.50) a vibrant, fresh style delivering way beyond its status. Think Châteauneuf at Côtes du Rhône prices. The charismatic Ken Forrester’s wildly spiced and richly warm Renegade Shiraz Grenache 2013 (£11.95) would be another great value option.

Or rock the boat a little and head to Argentina; now world-famous for Malbec in the wine world, there is far more to discover from here. Sticking with the softer, velvety styles, I can’t recommend enough a current favourite, Trapiche Estación 1883 Bonarda 2015 (£11.95), Argentina’s wallflower. Mellow, sumptuous and fragrant, it has a naturally sweet, blackberry and dark chocolate core; elegant, balanced and perfumed.

And so on to the star of the show… chocolate. From slowly savouring the most luxurious, truffle-filled, dark chocolate designer egg and revisiting the comfort of much-loved household names, to stealing a couple of the kiddies’ mini eggs, let’s face it, we all love chocolate, in one guise or another. Matching chocolate with wine engenders much debate and is highly polarising. But it can work. And does. The obvious choice is a sweet, unctuous, luxuriant dessert wine, such as the supremely stylish Italian Anselmi I Capitelli 2015 (£18.50 for 37.5cl); sleek and sophisticated in its charm, wafting notes of dried apricots, candied orange and honeycomb, yet with a refreshing edge. For pure indulgence of an intoxicating nature, sink into a glass of Skillogalee Liqueur Muscat (£31.00); dark toffee in colour, heady with the sticky richness of caramel, molasses, melted chocolate and dried raisins. You won’t need much of this, but it will take the indulgence of chocolate to a whole new level. But then again, it is ridiculously irresistible.

Not into sweet wine, but love chocolate? Falernia Carménère Reserva 2015 (£13.95) should be the go-to red wine; think Amarone in style, with rich, brooding, black fruit, and a smattering of bitter chocolate and spice – seductively velvety, perfect with dark chocolate, and would double up nicely as a perfect red for slow roast lamb if we are still in the throes of arctic winter.

Easter sorted! Enjoy.

Angela Mount