Uncork the Best Wine for Easter Dinner: A Guide to Perfect Pairings

The right wine can elevate the flavors of the meal and make for a truly special experience. Here are some wines to consider serving at your Easter dinner.

Easter is a time of celebration and gathering with friends and family. It’s also a great opportunity to indulge in some delicious food and drink. While many people think of chocolate bunnies at Easter, for many, dinner is the highlight of the day’s celebrations. Choosing the right wine to pair with the Easter feast can be just as important as the menu items themselves. Here we will take a look at the best Easter wine pairings.

Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine is the perfect way to start any celebration. It’s light and refreshing and adds a touch of elegance to any occasion. Plus, it pairs well with a wide variety of foods. For Easter, consider serving a brut sparkling wine. Brut is a dry style of sparkling wine that has a crisp, refreshing taste. It pairs well with appetizers, salads, and light entrees. 

Prosecco is an extra-dry style of sparkling wine with Italian origins. It is a great choice to use when making mimosas for Easter brunch. Fill a fluted wine glass three-quarters full with Prosecco and top with your favorite juice for a refreshing and festive cocktail.

If you’re looking for a more indulgent option, consider serving a rosé sparkling wine. Rosé sparkling wine is made by allowing the skins of red grapes to rest with the white wine transferring flavor, color, and a small amount of tannin. This process gives the wine a beautiful pink hue and a fruity flavor that pairs well with strawberries. It’s a great choice if you’re serving ham, lamb, or salmon.

White Wine

White wine is a versatile option that can be paired with a wide variety of dishes. Consider serving white wine with a medium to full body. Chardonnay is a classic option that pairs well with creamy dishes like scalloped potatoes or risotto. It has a buttery flavor with notes of vanilla and oak.

Riesling is a fabulous white wine choice that you feel confident will go with almost any dish. It is a versatile wine that can pair well with a wide range of dishes. Its high acidity, fruity flavors, and varying levels of sweetness make it a great wine to pair with traditional Easter menu items such as fish, lamb, and ham to rich, creamy sauces, and even desserts.

Albariño is another excellent white to pair alongside Easter fare. A light-bodied wine with high acidity, floral and citrus aromas, and flavors of peach, apricot, and green apple. It is native to the Galicia region of northwest Spain and is now grown in other parts of the world, including California and Australia. It pairs well with seafood, ham, spring vegetables, and light salads. 

Rosé Wine

Rosé wine has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason. It’s light, refreshing, and pairs well with a variety of foods. Dry rosé has a crisp, clean taste and makes a great Easter dinner wine to go with a wide variety of dishes.

Rosé wine is a great option if you’re serving ham, lamb, or salmon. It’s also a great choice if you’re serving a variety of appetizers or salads. Rosé wine has a beautiful pink color that adds a touch of elegance to any meal.

“For a traditional Easter ham, I often pair it with something light and somewhat dry like Prosecco. The brightness and acidity of the Prosecco balance out the rich, salty meat really well.” — Gen La Rocca, Two Cloves Kitchen

Red Wine

Red wine is a classic choice for any dinner party, and Easter dinner is no exception. A medium-bodied red wine such as Pinot Noir is a great choice that pairs well with a variety of dishes, particularly turkey. It has a light, fruity flavor with notes of cherry and raspberry.

If you’re serving a more robust dish like beef or lamb, consider serving a full-bodied red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon has a bold flavor with notes of blackcurrant and spice. It pairs well with hearty dishes and adds a touch of elegance to any meal.

Another lesser-known red that also makes an excellent wine pairing for Easter is Gamay. Which is the grape varietal used in the production of Beaujolais in France, in a wine region just south of Burgundy. Gamay is a light-bodied red wine that’s similar in taste to Pinot Noir but with notes of bubblegum on the nose. Pair this dinner wine with turkey, pork, roast chicken, duck, or fried calamari.

Dessert Wine

No meal is complete without a delicious dessert. For dessert, consider serving a dessert wine. Dessert wine is a sweet wine that pairs well with a variety of desserts. Moscato d’Asti is a great choice that has a light, fruity flavor with notes of peach and apricot. It pairs well with fruit-based desserts like pies and tarts.

If you’re serving a richer dessert like chocolate cake or cheesecake, consider serving a port wine. Port wine is a sweet, fortified wine that has a rich, complex flavor. It pairs well with chocolate-based desserts and adds a touch of indulgence to any meal.

In conclusion, there are many wine options to consider when it comes to Easter dinner. From the bright acidity of Riesling to the lightness of Albariño, there is a wine that can complement the flavors of any Easter meal. When selecting a wine to pair with your Easter feast, consider the flavors and ingredients of your dishes, as well as the preferences of your guests. Whether you are serving seafood, ham, or a vegetarian dish, there is a wine that can enhance the flavors of your meal and make your Easter celebration even more enjoyable.

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Cheers to a happy and delicious Easter!