Hello,

With Easter Sunday right around the corner and Passover beginning this evening and tomorrow, I thought I’d share with you some of the better wine pairings that go along with these celebrations.

Needless to say, while food items range across all religions, one underlying connection between the Jewish faith, Catholic and even Greek-Orthodox, is that Lamb plays a prime spot as a favorite food item.

Lamb is a very versatile meat and when you look at the various cuts you can get, such as a chop, leg, rack and tenderloin of lamb and then looking at the different ways it can be spiced, garlic, rosemary, herbs de Provence, etc., then looking at the cooking methods and sauces – the wine pairing possibilities are indeed endless!

First a quick word on pairing food and wine, always look at the following:

• Number one priority – always drink and eat what you like and don’t listen to others, including me…Remember: the best wine in the world is the one that you like.
• Look for balance between the food and the wine, such as the body, richness, flavor…the heavier the food (i.e. more fat) the heavier the wine should be, otherwise the wine will be lost.  Then again, just because you’re eating red meat doesn’t mean that you should always drink red wine (that routine is old and passe) but you should still have a strong, rich and heavy white like Chardonnay/White Burgundy and some of the Rhone Valley whites.
• Do not match the wine with the main food item (i.e. the meat) but rather with the main character/soul of the dish such as the one predominant spice in the dish, or the sauce or even the accompaniments.
• Lastly, instead of pairing the wine to the food, try the reverse and pair the food to the wine, meaning, is the wine fruity with black cherry undertones?  Cook something with a black cherry sauce or reduction…you get the point.

And now back to the best wine pairing for lamb dishes.  Taking everything into account and that the possibilities are endless the best few options one has are:  Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux blends, or if you’re feeling adventurous try an old Rioja or a Reserva from Ribera del Duero (i.e. Spain), or even a nice New Zealand Pinot Noir and an older Australian Shiraz!

What’s my favorite you ask? I’m most certainly biased towards Chateauneuf-du-Pape as my old-time favorite for ANY lamb dish…including lamb burgers and lamb schoarma! Such wines have flavors that are rich & silky and ripe & juicy.  With predominant wood, earth and berry bouquets…what can go wrong? Nothing!

As I always say: there are two things you can do – either you do it or you don’t!

At Your Service,
Aurelian