Perfect pairings for traditional Easter fare
From the main course to chocolate-bunny finish, these five wines will go well with your meal
Easter goodies don’t always have to be shaped like eggs, chicks and bunnies. Sometimes they can come in the shape of wine bottles.
I strongly encourage that large, baskettoting bunny to think about tucking a few of these vinous treats here and there while on his usual chocolate routine. Each one goes marvellously well with traditional Easter fare.
Wine recommendations Best with turkey 2015 Albert Bichot Chablis, Burgundy, France (LCBO 458851 $22.95 in stores and online; also available at select grocery stores)
Good Chablis at a reasonable price is becoming increasingly rare. Limited production in the face of skyrocketing global demand is driving the trend and it’s gaining momentum, so this delicious, affordable bottle is a find.
It starts with the classic scent of sea salt-crusted oyster shells before the silky entry saturates the palate with great purity of fruit reminiscent of baked apples and with hints of salted butter and crushed almond. The texture is glasslike, cool and glossy. Sensual. And tapers to a long, salty finish. Pour it with turkey.
Score: 91+
Best with ham 2016 Fetzer Shaly Loam Gewurztraminer, California (LCBO 222778 $12.95 in stores and online)
This Gewurztraminer, pronounced guh-VURTS-trah-mee-ner, tastes like code for “bring on the ham.” Its quiet scents of ginger, rosewater and pale peach rise from the glass before the off-dry attack of delicate orange oil, rose, ginger and lemonlime rush in. The wine’s kiss of sweetness is offset by bright, mouth-watering acidity and all the fruity-floral goodness is underpinned by an unmistakable note of crushed stone that lends a bit of gravitas to each sip. Pairing this wine with roasted ham gets that whole salty-sour-sweet thing going on.
Score: 92
Best with beef 2015 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir, VQA Short Hills Bench, Ontario (Vintages 461699 $24.95 in stores only; also avail. at select grocery stores and at the winery)
Henry of Pelham’s Baco Noir draws a cultlike following for its satisfying depth. This depth is most apparent at the premium Speck Family Reserve level, made from the fruit of its oldest, finest vineyards. Opulent aromas of dark macerated berries lead to more of the same on the palate layered with weighty notes of toasted oak, coffee, black licorice, hazelnut, and dark chocolate mousse.
A bright ripple of red raspberry emerges through the velvet core and balances the brawny intensity. It’s a bottle that totally sets off roast beef.
Score: 91+
Best with lamb 2016 Folonari Pinot Noir IGT, Veneto, Italy (LCBO 32888 $14.95 in stores and online)
Pinot Noir can be pricey — especially when made in that classic way that retains earthy elegance, pale colour and discreet raspberry-violet perfume. But this wine style is hands-down the best choice for lamb. So when I tasted this bottle the other day, I had to tell you about it.
It starts with a slow, languid floral-fruit fragrance. Then, the entry is crisp, but not shrill, with delicate flavours of violet and raspberry edged with soft earth and dried cranberry notes.
The lacquered mouthfeel adds finesse. And the long, dry finish seasons the palate perfectly between bites of tender lamb. It just works.
Score: 90
Best with chocolate 2016 Woodbridge Moscato, Robert Mondavi, California (LCBO 199216 $13.25 in stores and online; also available at select grocery stores)
Sweet marmalade and stewed apricot aromas waft from this wine before it swathes the palate with lusciously sweet flavours of mixed citrus and yellow stone fruit stewed in sugar. The sweetness is counterbalanced by invigorating acidity — so it finishes clean and dry. Rich concentration, pristine fruit, a polished mouthfeel and impeccable poise combine to make this a very good value dessert wine that just happens to pair well dark chocolate shaped like eggs or bunny rabbits.
Score: 89+