Spring is officially here and Easter is right around the corner, which means many of us will soon be gathering around the table with family, friends, food, and a few bottles of great wine.
If you’re looking for the best Easter wine pairings, we’ve got you covered! We partnered with Master Sommelier, Michael Meagher, to get his recommendations on how to create the ultimate food and wine pairings that will elevate your Easter feast. Grab a glass, pop the cork, and let’s dive in!
Lot 205 Vinho Verde
Paired with salad or chilled seafood
From the northernmost growing region in Portugal tucked against the Spanish border, Vinho Verde has become one of my favorite styles of white wine over the past few years. Meaning “green” or “young” wine, it shows its youthful vigor with vibrant citrus and apple notes, a nervy, steely minerality, and a delightful touch of spritz that livens up any dish or occasion. If you’re starting with a salad or any sort of chilled seafood (shrimp, oysters, or the like), this is a perfect wake-up for your palate and can work with many of the more delicate flavors that the spring season is just starting to showcase.
Lot 132 Provence Rosè
Paired with grilled vegetables, ham, or roasted pork
Provence was making and drinking rosé long before it became a global phenomenon, with the bright Mediterranean days and copious amounts of seafood bringing delight to both locals and tourists. So, please feel free to use those historical guidelines to pair up this wine, or you can enjoy the aromatic cherry, raspberry, and herbaceous notes alongside some grilled veggies, ham, or roasted pork. Quite frankly, rosé is so versatile, you’ll have a hard time finding a dish that doesn’t go well with this wine!
Lot 197 Prosecco Rosè
Paired with a cheese course or glazed ham
When it comes to stars in the world of food and wine pairing, sparkling rosé is really tough to top. Delightful as an aperitif, but never out of place at the table once the main course is served. With classic notes of green apple, strawberry, and bosc pear, serve this stunner alongside a cheese course, passed appetizers, a glazed ham, or anything that you might cook up for your Easter dinner table to celebrate the longer evenings of springtime.
Lot 27 Barbera d’Alba
Paired with charcuterie, roasted leg of lamb or mushrooms
With winter’s chill behind us, and as our food lightens up, our gaze turns toward red wines with a bit less power, but we don’t want to skimp on flavor and deliciousness. Naturally lower in tannin, there’s an elegant, satiny texture to Barbera, with ample amounts of juicy plum, blackberry, and violets on the palate. Barbera d’Alba is often thought of as a “pizza wine” (there’s nothing wrong with that, in my opinion), but pour a splash alongside a charcuterie and cheese plate, roasted leg of lamb, or any dish with a healthy dose of mushrooms.
Lot 126 Sancerre
Paired with goat cheese, asparagus, or shellfish
A classic wine at any time of year, but particularly best with springtime dishes, Sancerre is one of the world’s greatest expressions of Sauvignon Blanc. Bright notes of grapefruit, lemon zest, green bell pepper and fresh cut grass are lovely foils for any dish with goat cheese, asparagus (yes, asparagus!) or shellfish. Of course, if you were to take a glass and sit outside on a seasonably warm day and just enjoy the return of the sunshine, that would be more than appropriate as well.
Now that we’re all officially drooling over these wine and food pairings, let’s raise our glasses to the flavors of the new season. It’s officially time to uncork those bottles and get the spring celebrations flowing!
Thirsty for more springtime sips? Explore our full selection of Spring Wines worthy of enjoying all season long.