Wine for Easter

Easter is Coming

by Chris Hambleton from Champagne Tuesdays

Easter is coming, usually time for a big family meal, so how do you choose the right wine to go with your food?

One of the most common things people want to know about is which wines go with which foods. In a restaurant or at home, careful selection of beverage can make the difference between a good meal and a great one. Like many things in life, the key to it all is balance, you need the wine to be in balance with what you are eating.

Red or white?
This comes in many shapes and forms with specific grape varieties and wine regions, of which more below. At its most basic however you need to look at the weight of the wine and the dish you are having. Light wines like Sauvignon Blancs for whites and Pinot Noirs for reds, are best suited to light dishes like simple fish or chicken. Mid weight foods like pork or veal will suit mid-weight wines like un-oaked Chardonnay for whites and Cotes Du Rhone for reds. Guess what? Heavy foods mean heavy wines. Lamb, beef and hefty Vegetarian foods all require the muscle of a big wine like South African Merlot or Australian Shiraz.

Simple or complex?
Another general rule is that you will not get the same weight in cheaper wines. A basic South Eastern Australia Shiraz for five quid is all very well, but if you are entertaining it is worth splashing out on something nearer the ten pound mark from a recognised region like Mclaren Vale. Simple foods like barbequed meats require simple wines, so there is no need to spend over the odds, more complex dishes require more complex wines and complexity I'm afraid is linked to quality, which in turn is linked to price.

Why red meat loves red wine
Red wine and red meat go together for one very simple reason, a chemical substance that occurs naturally in grape skins called tannin. That's the stuff that gives you furry teeth and dries your mouth out. What it also does is react with protein to release flavour compounds, both in the wine and the meat. White wine does not have tannin and the lighter flavours become over-powered by red meat.

Dining out?
Most decent restaurants will have some hint as to whether the wines on their list are light or heavy and if you are lucky then the at least one of the staff will have an idea of a good suggestion to go with your chosen meal. The tendency when you are out is to order drinks first, then your food, but your gastronomic experience can be enhanced considerably by deciding what you are having to eat before choosing your wine. If you are not keen on splashing out too much, then have a glass of tap water while deciding.

Another thorny issue is that of finding a wine that suits everyone at the table. Sometimes this is next to impossible if one person is having a steak and likes heavy reds and the other is having Dover Sole and likes Chablis, what do you do? Well, so long as you are not driving home, have two bottles! Again, many restaurants offer a selection of wine by the glass, ask if you can try a small taste of one of these before you purchase, they will have bottles open and any good establishment should be happy to oblige.

Eating in
If you are having a big party at home the advice changes slightly. The more choice you offer, the more likely you are to run out of something. Aim for two thirds of a bottle of wine per person as a maximum, so if you are having eighteen people, buy six white and six red. A few folk will always bring a bottle so you have some emergency supplies. Also, go for offers. Easter is the second biggest time of year for the wine trade after Christmas, the offers are usually excellent.

A final tip
Spicy foods, even spicy red meat dishes, are better suited to aromatic white wines and light reds than more heavyweight products. It must be said that Chateau Stella Artois is better suited to curry than any real wine!