From Paul Franson's Travel Tastes

The perfect wine for Easter dinner can be obvious — or very challenging. It all depends on what you’re serving as the main course. And possibly, what you’re serving with the meal.

Most families seem to have ham for Easter, but a large contingent opt for the traditional spring favorite, lamb. They invite completely different wines.

Of course, you don’t start a festive meal with the entrée. I always serve sparkling wine when guests arrive, and fresh California sparkler seem like an appropriate choice. It also matches perfectly with appetizers like smoked salmon or oysters.

With lamb, choosing wine requires no deliberation. While I’m a great believer in drinking whatever wine you like with any meal, lamb calls for Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. I’d serve the best wine my guests would appreciate, whether from France or the new world. My first choice would be Chateau Pétrus but I’d live with Lafite. Sure. In my dreams.

Lamb is so versatile, however, that it goes equally well with almost any good  red: delicate Pinot Noir from Burgundy, California or Oregon, hearty Syrah from the Rhône Valley or Australia, rustic Petite Sirah or Chianti Classico come to mind. Well studded with garlic and kissed by rosemary, it can even stand up to monster Zinfandel.

If lamb is an easy match, ham is challenging. Some old tales tell you to match wine color with food color, suggesting serving rosé with ham. It turns out that’s a great match. Wine snobs might have apoplexy, but perceptively sweet rosé perfectly matches the typical American preparation of ham with brown sugar and cloves accompanied by sweet potatoes.

Even better is a fine sparkling rosé or blancs de noirs made from Pinot Noir grapes, with acidity and bubbles that help balance the fatty, salty ham. Though most aren’t sweet, they have the body to complement ham.

Other light reds can be a good match, including Beaujolais (not nouveau Beaujolais, which should be used to remove bugs from your car’s windshield), ordinary Chianti (non-Classico) or Sangiovese, or lighter Pinot Noir or Burgundy. Lighter Rhônes or Washington or California Syrahs can work, too. But your typical Cabernet or Merlot with its astringent tannins doesn’t seem to match well with ham.

Another choice would be a hearty white like the typical popular California Chardonnay, slightly sweet, slightly smoky and very rich to complement the smoky ham. Remembering the Central European regions that make fine hams, Riesling or Gewurztraminer are both good matches with ham and generally good buys. Though at its abyss of popularity, Chenin Blanc, whether from California or the Loire Valley, seems a good match, too.

A good hard sparkling cider, not a sweet non-alcoholic version except for the kids, is great with ham, too. It’s also a good baste for ham (and so is the sweet version).

Considering the intertwining of Jewish Passover and Christian Easter, it might be a good time to try some new Kosher wines from suppliers like Baron Herzog, Hagafen in California, or Carmel from Israel. Well-made dry wines, they have nothing to do with syrupy Manischewitz. There may be some irony in serving kosher wine with ham, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

Whatever wine you choose for your celebration of Easter, consider a delicate sweet wine with — or instead of — dessert. My favorites are light, natural Muscats. Some of the best come from Martini, Mondavi, St. Supéry and Sutter Home. Asti from Italy (formerly Asti Spumante) is a sparkling version. They’re cheap but delicious, the perfect ending for a family celebration.

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From Senior Connections, February 2002

From Paul Franson's Travel Tastes