8 of the best wines for Easter
If you’re entertaining family and friends over the Easter weekend, chances are you’re after some inspiration for the best wines to complement your scrumptious spring feast.
From a casual Good Friday fish supper, to Easter Sunday roast and all those tasty bits in-between, we’ve got you backed…
A cracking good prosecco in a brut style (so slightly drier than extra dry), this Venetian perennial will be perfect with all your canapés, with its lovely fruity freshness accented by light, floral scents and hints of apple and pear. With its delicious combination of peach purée, you could even whip up a celebratory Easter brunch bellini.
Fresh and lively, this snazzy white will jazz up seafood starters and is a star match with sushi and shellfish. A deftly blended chenin with a splash of marsanne and grenache blanc, it stands out for its limey, lemony notes with touches of baked apple and ripe, silky texture with masses of lemony freshness in a really drinkable style.
Ripe, rounded, creamy chardonnay with well-judged oak, it’s labelled as basic vin de France but offers so, so much with tiers of juicy peach, honeydew, exotic tropical fruits and hint of banana. Full bodied with great fruity intensity and balanced acidity keeping everything in check, think Good Friday gourmet fish pie – and save a glass for a slice of strong cheddar.
A sommeliers’ favourite, bone-dry riesling, such as this standout classic from the Clare Valley, offers enough freshness and deliciousness to go gorgeously with seared scallops, sweet chilli and lime prawns, as well as roast chicken and glazed Easter ham. Right on point, aromas of lemon and lime, concentrated citrus flavours with hints of lemon curd are marked with brilliant limey acidity. Worth seeking out.
Smooth, mellow and an easy-drinking crowd-pleaser, this sunny merlot is brimming with sweet, ripe berry fruits that follow through on the palate. Soft and succulent, the joy is in its simplicity and bright, fruity finish – and if you had to buy just one red this Easter, this will certainly boost your spring BBQ, chilli con carne, pulled pork and roasted veggies.
Here’s a super sangiovese from well-known producer Cecchi, which more than delivers for the price. Fragrant with lovely herbal aromas and savoury bushy notes, appealing flavours of ripe black cherry with hints of sweet oak, spice and vanilla are supported by plummy undertones. One for anything in a tomato sauce and pizza rustica.
If you’re after a tempanillo temptress to top your roast leg of lamb, award-winning winery Baron de Ley packs a lot of spicy, oaky, blackberry fruit into this super satisfying red. With a forest floor of black fruits laced with vanilla oak, sweet spice and cornucopia of concentration, it delivers what it promises on the nose.
Cited as the ‘King of Beaujolais’, if you’re after a wine to swoon over, this Moulin-A-Vent has Sunday best written all over it. A pretty expression, but with the intensity you’d expect from this famous region, it’s sleek and elegant with rounded black cherry and raspberry fruit, nuances of flowers, a touch of rose petal and sweet spice – and everything glides beautifully along with freshness and finesse in spades. Delicious with cold ham, patés and seared duck breast, and bound to prompt a cheeseboard. A winner.