5 Easy Easter Pairings

Easter is coming up faster than you can say the bunny and the tortoise (or was that the hare and the turtle? Anyhoo…). Get all your bases covered with this easy-to-read guide to the best matches for 5 classic Easter dishes!

Fret not chocolate lovers, we agree, "chocolate" counts as a traditional dish too.

WINE: Fortified wine from Rutherglen

WHY IT WORKS: Squishy buns, hot out of the toaster, all moist raisined fruit and cinnamon spice, slathered with lashings of butter… oh my lordy, I’m reaching for a glass of Rutherglen Muscat or Topaque: those same sultana-like fruit flavours, caramel/toffee aromas and baking spices, plus that unctuous sweetness. Bite, then sip, then bite, then sip. Hot Cross Heaven!

WINE: Fiano

WHY IT WORKS: Fresh Asian flavours on Easter Friday with a Southern Italian white variety? Yeah why not?! Fiano equals fresh and tangy, with ripe pear and floral notes, and honey and hazelnuts - there’s so much going on in this wine, flavour-wise! But the clincher here is texture. You’re going to need something with quite a bit of body to stand up to the subtle white-fleshed texture of the snapper, soft and slippery from steaming, and savoury with garlic and soy. And that ginger is going to do leaps and bounds with flavour, so you’ll need those floral, juicy elements in the Fiano. Oh yes you will! You know you will.

WINE: Cinsault

WHY IT WORKS: There are a few wines we could have paired with the Italian Easter Pie; old-world Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc are both great examples. But we decided to settle on Cinsault. The Italian Easter Pie is laden with all the naughty things: A buttery crust encases cheese and an array of cured meat as well as red peppers and spinach - that’s quite a bit to play with and a lot of flavours to contend with. Cinsault tends to be quite easygoing on the palate. Bright acidity will help to cut through those fatty, salty cured meat flavours whilst not overpowering the richness of the pie. Soft and light tannins will work with any spicier elements in the pie, lifting this delicious dish of Easter indulgence.

WINE: Sangiovese

WHY IT WORKS: Greek Easter lamb has a whole lotta love goin’ on! Succulent, juicy, meaty - it’s salty and savoury from the olives, herbal from the bay leaves and with loads of acidity from the lemons it’s going to need a special wine to compete! Sangiovese has all this in spades: medium-bodied it may be, but it has the texture and tannins to marry up beautifully to the falling-apart meat, high acidity to dance along with the lemons, and loads of sour cherry to match any serious savoury notes. Whether from Chianti or the new world, Sangiovese will certainly spruce up your Greek lamb this Easter!

WINE: Pedro Ximenez sherry

WHY IT WORKS: Nothing screams Easter more than chocolate. Sure, it’s one of the year’s most important religious and cultural festivals, but no matter what you are or who you celebrate, the one thing that we can all agree on is how good chocolate is! Smooth, creamy and rich, it’s fun, addictive and delicious whether in a block, an Easter egg, or as the famous Lindt bunny...

And because chocolate is so sweet and so mouth-coating, it needs a wine to match, like Pedro Ximenez sherry, aka PX. Black, viscous, and complex, PX is all about dried fruits (dates, raisins and prunes, in a good way) with fruit cake spices, mocha and toffee notes. And because it is so luscious, it’s the GPD HQ win for the best chocolate wine ever.

About the Author

Melissa is a perpetual student of wine (currently WSET Diploma) and competition-winning sommelier. She has a sharp palate for both wine (duh) and sandwiches, enhanced only when blaring loud dance music.