Easter is almost here and the eight family-owned and operated wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail want to help you select the right wines to pair with your family's holiday meal. Here are a few suggestions. Stop by any of our wineries in person for specific recommendations.
Amore - Pair Amore Pink Passion with ham, pork and sauerkraut. After dinner, relax with a glass of Rapport or Vidal Blanc dessert wines.
Big Creek - Their Vin di Pasqualina is a favorite all-around wine for traditional Easter dinners. Both sweet and dry wine fans will enjoy the glass-filling aroma of this semi-dry rose. Vin is a blend of three grapes, but the bouquet and character come from Niagara, an aromatic white grape that can stand a little chill and still deliver a ton of flavor. It does very well as an aperitif or with ham, turkey, or even baked ziti.
Blue Mountain – The medium-bodied flavor of their Pinot Noir will compliment a glazed Easter ham. Their Riesling, non-oaked Chardonnay and White Merlot will also compliment the smoky flavor of ham.
Clover Hill – The winery suggests Turtle Rock Red, made from 100% Chambourcin grapes (the official wine grape of the Lehigh Valley) with a slight bit of natural sweetness, best served with a slight chill. This wine is a great accompaniment to Easter ham, and garlic or smoked kielbasa.
Franklin Hill - Kiss is a great choice to enjoy with the traditional ham dinner and will help cut the saltiness. Seyval is another terrific option to bring out the flavor of pineapples on top. For dessert, Sir Walter's Red and homemade peanut butter eggs are a match made in heaven.
Galen Glen – Galen and Sarah recommend what they are serving at their own Easter Celebration - Vin Gris, a dry rose, and Galah, a lightly sweet blush. Both are delightful with all of the holiday’s festivities - brunch, glazed ham, and leftover sandwiches.
Pinnacle Ridge – They recommend their Cuvee Chardonnay sparkling wine as a means of celebrating Easter. This crisp bubbly will be perfect with ham or turkey.
Vynecrest - Their Vynecrest White Silver Medal winner is a versatile, semi-sweet, all-occasion dinner wine. Perfect for pairing with Easter ham, lamb, turkey and all the trimmings. Don't forget Cherry DiVyne for dessert paired with those chocolate Easter bunnies!
I'm serving lamb for our Easter dinner. Only Vynecrest had a wine suggestion. Any other suggestions as to a wine to serve with lamb?
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting your question regarding what wines to pair with lamb. Here are a few suggestions from our wineries:
ReplyDeleteGalen Glen - Cabernet Franc is a classic pairing with lamb.
Vynecrest & Blue Mountain recommend Pinot Noir.
Pinnacle Ridge - The classic pairing for lamb is Bordeaux. So I would suggest a Bordeaux style blend such as our 2010 Veritas (merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc - the three major bordeaux varieties).
Franklin Hill - Lamb is a bold tasting meat and shouldn't be paired with anything overly oaky nor something too delicate. Our Simply Red is perfect for a lamb prepared with fruit sauce, mushrooms and garlic and will also compliment a lamb shank served with mint as well. If you are preparing you're a rack of lamb with a heavy, hearty cream sauce or bold herbs and spices, perhaps a bolder wine like our Cabernet Sauvignon may suit it better. We think either will be a perfect pairing.