Easter Recommendations

If you're planning what to drink with lunch on Easter Sunday, particularly red wines to pair with lamb, here are some suggestions, all immediately available, in-store and for home delivery within the UK.

Unlike the Victorian tradition of the Christmas turkey, roast lamb at Easter has ancient, pre-Christian origins, linked to spring lamb symbolising new life. Sheep have been grazed around the vineyards of the Médoc since the 13th century (a practice now becoming common again, for ecological reasons), and milk-fed Agneau de Pauillac (Pauillac Lamb) is a delicacy, with 'Label Rouge' status.

Red Bordeaux is a classic partner to lamb, with its fine acidity and structure complimenting the fat and flavour. 'Pauillac lamb' is still a delicacy in Bordeaux, dating from the days when sheep were used extensively to graze in between the vines. If a claret appeals, 2019 Château Brillette is an affordable Cru Bourgeois from Moulis en Médoc, and from a superb vintage with generous fruit, at just £22.00 per bottle. 2016 Château Le Crock (£32.50), with its fine St-Estephe tannins, acidity and gravelly-mineral character would also be an excellent match for leg or shoulder of lamb.

Rioja has its own tradition of rearing lamb, in the mountainous areas that are too high for vines, with a traditional dish being lamb cooked over vine cuttings. Bodegas Valserrano's Crianza Rioja (£16.00) is an excellent example of 'proper' rioja from a single estate bodegas, producing wines with a mixture of French and American oak, whilst La Rioja Alta's 2019 Ardanza Reserva (£30.00) is consistently one of the best-value fine wines we know of.

Alongside claret and rioja, you'll also find a characterful, thyme-scented red from the Ventoux and a Chianti Classico from Fonterutoli, the oldest estate in Chianti, which has lovely acidity to match cuts like leg of lamb, especially if you're serving it with Mediterranean-style accompaniments.

If you're looking for superb Easter lamb to go with your wine, we can recommend our friends at Salter & King, a superb craft butchers opposite us here in Aldeburgh. Their lamb is sourced from local Suffolk farms but, like us, they also deliver nationally.