Food and Wine Pairing for Passover and Easter

Passover and Easter evoke great memories of family and tradition. For most of us there are traditional meals of honeyed ham, lamb, beef brisket, lasagna, matzoball soup, or whitefish salad. There are some things to think about when you are choosing your wine for the meal. The first and most important thing is have fun and to enjoy your family and friends with whatever you like to drink. If you want to avoid some food and wine pairing pitfalls then lets look at some things to think about.

Honeyed or Sweet Fruit Glazed Foods (Ham)

Foods like ham are usually neutral and can pair well with several different wines, but when you add the sweetness of honey, it will make the wine taste drier. The best analogy to help understand this effect, think of having a glass of orange juice after you've brushed your teeth…yuk!!! The sweetness of the tooth paste sucks all the sweetness out of the orange juice. So if you are having honeyed ham or something with a sweet fruit glaze, choose white wines like a Riesling, a Califorina Pinot Gris, Vouvray (Chenin Blanc), or Viognier; for red wines, a Shiraz/Syrah or a red zinfandel. Stay away from older Cabernets or Cotes du Rhone.

Riesling

Pinot Grigio

Chenin Blanc

Viognier

Shiraz/Syrah,

Petite Sirah

Zinfandel

Lamb or Beef Brisket

Both cuts of meat are full-flavored and require full-flavored wines. Traditionally herbs and garlic are used in these dishes, so we need to find a wine that shares that link. Generally I would not choose a white wine with these meats; unless you were to select a big California Chardonnay or a White Burgundy.

Lamb: Cabernet, Bordeaux, Shiraz, Merlot, Cotes du Rhone (Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas) Barberesco or Barolo, Tempranillo

Beef Brisket: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Bordeaux, Cotes du Rhone (Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas)

Semillon

California Chardonnay or White Burgundy
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Pinot Noir

Tempranillo

Sangiovese Blend

Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon

Bordeaux

Cotes du Rhone

Barberesco

Borolo