The problem with making recommendations a couple of weeks ahead of publication is that you haven’t a clue what the weather will be like, as the recent arctic spell demonstrated. Who would have thought at the beginning of March that we’d have felt like cracking open a 15% amarone? So it is with some trepidation that I mention rosé as an option for Easter, but who knows? We may be basking in a heatwave.
Anyway, supermarkets are taking no chances and already bigging up their rosé ranges. Aldi has eight new ones, including the well-priced, mainly grenache- and carignan-based Mediterranée Terre de Brume 2017, which tastes more substantial than its 12% abv would suggest and which, at £4.69, is certainly a bargain. Even so, I’d be inclined to pay an extra three quid for the pale, crisp La Petite Laurette that the Co-op has just taken on and that tastes like a Provence rosé without a Provençal price tag.
I still think most of us would rather be drinking rioja or bordeaux at this time of year, though, not least because they are the classic go-tos for Easter lamb. It’s worth snapping up 2015 bordeaux, an excellent vintage, while you can (’16s are good, too, but a bit young). Majestic’s Château Recougne Bordeaux Supérieur 2015, for example, is drinking deliciously right now.
Personally, however, I’m yearning for even lighter reds, such as the joyously quaffable El Castro De Valtuille Mencia from Bierzo in northern Spain (£13.70 Bottle Apostle, £14 The Good Wine Shop, or £12.75 if you buy a case; 13.5%), which would be lovely if you’re roasting a chicken.
Prosecco? Inevitably there will be loads of offers, but if you’re planning an Easter tea, remember to look for extra-dry, which is perversely sweeter than brut. Aldi has a £12.99 magnum of Ca’di Pietra (11%), which is always fun to pass around. And if you’re prosecco-ed out, Ammazza Bianco Spumante, in its appealingly chunky bottle, is a more interesting-looking alternative, if not quite the “Wow!” that the word ammazza implies (I learned that at younginrome.com).
Finally, I would be failing in my duty if I didn’t offer you a wine to demolish with your children’s leftover Easter eggs (although, truth be told, it goes better with dark than with milk chocolate): Mavrodaphne of Patras is one of the wine world’s great sweet wine bargains, and it tastes like chocolate raisins; it’s very good with chocolate cake and blue cheeses such as stilton, too.
Four of the best wines for Easter
La Petite Laurette Rosé 2017
£7.99 Co-op, 13%
Pale, crisp Provençal-style rosé for olives, dips and other nibbles
Château Recougne Bordeaux Supérieur 2015
£9.99 (£7.99 on the mix-six deal) Majestic, 14%
Charmingly fruity claret
Ammazza Spumante
£11.99 (£8.49 on the mix-six deal) Majestic, 11%
Party fizz: perfect for an Easter brunch
Kourtaki Mavrodaphne of Patras Cameo
£6.95 Ocado, Waitrose 15%
Rich, brambly and sweet: Greece’s answer to port
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