Easter Wines That Jam With Ham And Lamb!

Easter is coming! Prepare for painted eggs and hopping bunny legs! This Easter celebrate with family,food, and a fanciful fruit forward frolicking of vinous vine varieties. Rack of lamb is an Easter tradition. The roast grilled goodness of a rack of lamb in the oven is a cherished memory I have from my early years. My step father would carefully wrap the rack in string and put those little "chef's hats" on the top part of the bone with mindful attention. A nice choice for lamb, as I've mentioned before, is Cotes du Rhone. Giant Eagle has one or two to choose from that should compliment a nice rack well. Trader Joe's sells a delightful Cotes du Rhone called produced by Caves du Fournalet which retails for $8.99. With an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 12.5% it pairs fantastically with all manner of grilled lamb. Another good choice would be a nicely balanced Cabernet from Chile or California. California Cabernets have a much more smooth and juicy approachable nature on the palate. A Chilean Cabernet will usually offer dark fruits with a little pepper to make a well seasoned lamb rack pop. NOTE: If you are using liberal amounts of mint jelly on your lamb you will want to choose a fruity Pinot Noir over the more dry and higher tannin Cabernet. Your choice. 
If, by chance, you choose hams over lambs, pay attention to the style in which the ham is cooked. Ham is already on the salty sweet side. A glazed ham would go nicely with the Pinot Noir I mentioned previously. The sweeter the glaze on the ham the more you may want to lean toward buying a sweet white Moscato to pair with this holiday treat.
Whichever Easter treats you choose to eat and drink, be sure to celebrate with wines from me that surely shall not stink!
Cheers! Happy Easter. 

Christian Fitzharris

Christian Fitzharris works in the Wine and Beverage Industry. He is a Certified Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers curriculum. He writes about wine and wine education for global service. He may be reached at winsomewinesomm@gmail.com

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Volume 8, Issue 3, Posted 9:56 PM, 03.08.2016