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I’ve never regarded Easter as important as Christmas. I certainly don’t prepare for it as extensively, but it seems I may be in a minority: according to the retailers I’ve spoken to, the occasion is second only in importance to Christmas, which makes sense, given it’s a rare, four-day opportunity to get together with friends and family. It’s thankfully not quite as expensive, though, because it’s not such a major gifting (gah!) occasion. And, given how the price of everything has shot up, leaving most of us with less cash to splash, this week I thought I’d concentrate mainly on bargains, rather than splurges.
The food we eat at Easter is, of course, different from Christmas, too. I know, I know, sod’s law it will be snowing when you’re reading this, but we are technically in spring now and what we put on the table is likely to reflect that. Chicken rather than turkey, lamb rather than beef, the sharp smack of fresh lemon rather than boozy dried fruit, salads rather than sprouts. Even an early barbecue (about which more next week)
Wine-wise, that suggests a switch from rich chardonnays to sauvignon blancs, and from full-bodied to light reds such as pinot noir and beaujolais – though, again, my supermarket sources tell me that Châteauneuf-du-Pape is still hugely popular at this time of year. I prefer a lighter wine with lamb, although it’s one of those meats that suits practically anything from chianti to claret.
If the weather is fine, you may well be rushing to load up with rosé, but do bear in mind that spring is a tricky time for vintages. Northern hemisphere 2022s are just hitting the shelves, but they may still be a bit out of kilter if they’ve just been bottled. (There can be a jarring, nail-varnish aroma to newly released wines that takes a couple of months to settle. Obviously, this issue doesn’t apply to southern hemisphere wines, which are six months ahead.) Better to stick to 2021 vintages such as the very pretty, creamy Collin-Bourisset Côteaux Bourguignons Rosé (12.5%) that Lidl has in its current wine tour at £7.99.
Easter is also a good opportunity to stock up on fizz for early spring and summer drinking, particularly as sub-£10 fizz is getting progressively harder to find. I find it ironic that cheap champagne is less expensive than a lot of sparkling wine, Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny at £14.99 being a case in point. But there are some decent discounts at the moment on bubbly such as the Graham Beck rosé in today’s pick, so it pays to take advantage when you can.
Five great spring wine buys for Easter weekend
Château Pierrail Bordeaux Blanc 2021 £8.85 Booths, 13%. Bordeaux is obviously much better known for its reds, but this is a really smart-looking, crisp sauvignon to drink with seafood.
Exquise Grenache Prestige Rosé 2021 £6.99 Lidl, 12.5%. Posh-looking, pale, Provençal-style rosé at half the price you’d normally pay for this quality.
Escarpment Noir Pinot Noir 2020 £10, down from £17.99, Waitrose, 13.5%. A terrific reduction on this New Zealand pinot noir that would be great with lamb, roast duck or anything mushroomy.
Graham Beck Rosé Brut £10, down from £16.99, Waitrose, £11.99 (on mix-six) Majestic, 12%. Easy-drinking, fruity South African pink fizz. Good to kick off an Easter barbecue.
Maison Antech Mademoiselle Marguerite Blanquette de Limoux Brut £11.99 (on mix-six) Majestic, 12%. Fresh, appealing southern French fizz – perfect for an Easter brunch.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
