What wines will you try during Easter? Should you go classic or unconventional?

 

Easter Sunday, a day of celebration and the festive end of fasting.

Traditionally, in one way or another, (almost) everyone will eat mageiritsa, lamb, on the spit, in the oven, or baked if you head to the mountainous regions, along with its side dishes.

What wines, though, will we serve with these delicious dishes?

First, we need to consider the basics: mageiritsa means a fatty soup with lots of aromatic herbs and a rich body, even in its vegan version with mushrooms. Three characteristics that seek a similar profile in the glass.

Similarly, the lamb dishes have a high fat content and a rich, full flavor that calls for a wine with, definitely, high acidity to balance it out and, of course, plenty of well-worked tannins to marry with the protein.

We are here to suggest the best combinations from the Greek vineyard, with both classic "recipes" for pairing, as well as... completely unconventional ones!

So, we begin with the evening of the Resurrection, where the mageiritsa and the eggs take center stage!

If you want to play it safe, a classic Sauvignon Blanc, which as a variety has both the acidity and the slightly "green" character that the soup's herbs want, is a good choice. Add a value-for-money approach to the equation, and choose the label of Avantis Estate, from the beautiful vineyard surrounding the historic winery in Euboea.

Alternatively, if you prefer wines with good acidity but more body and a "thicker" character, choose a Cretan Vidiano, from a benchmark label of the variety that Nikos Douloufakis has been lovingly producing for years with the "White Hare."

Finally, a more "out of the box" choice is a sparkling, extra aromatic, and slightly acidic Moschofilero, like the recently-released Milia Riza Wines Blanc De Gris from the highlands of central Peloponnese, which will wash down the dish's fattiness with characteristic ease.

Tip: Make sure the soup is lukewarm and the wine is not too chilled so that the two come closer together and you don't shock your palate.

But without realizing it... it's dawn!

Easter Sunday, then, and the treats as the lamb roasts take center stage. Greek cheeses, a bit of egg, dolmadakia that are also in fashion. Time to deploy the vanguard, before the cavalry parades, in the form of a fragrant Moschofilero that will easily accompany them. Add to the equation the charming character given by the slight aging (what? of course Moschofileros age beautifully!) and you have what you're looking for in the Moropoulos Mantinia Late Release 2019!

As noon approaches, with kontosouvli, kokoretsi, and of course the traditional lamb. Here, there are two major schools, one that prefers white wines and one that promotes reds as indispensable.

If you identify with the first school (as I do), then the choices are truly numerous.

The most classic choice is, of course, a Santorini wine, with its acidity and body capable of cutting through the fat of the dish like a Samurai sword! Try something different this year, such as Art Space Assyrtiko Agios Avgoustos 2020, and remember once again why the island and its gifted variety can produce great wines.

If you want to explore this unique grape outside of Santorini, then Assyrtiko Sur Lies 2021 from the Vrinioti Winery in Northern Euboea is a consistently excellent choice.

Traveling west to the Ionian Sea, Kefalonia is home to a variety with similar characteristics that pairs beautifully with meat. The Robola grape in the hands of the people at Gentilini Winery will give you everything you're looking for.

If you want to surprise your guests, choose a wonderful wine that, both aromatically and stylistically, pairs perfectly with lamb: the "wild" Savatiano Akriotou Oreivatis The Wild Mountaineer from Boeotia, which comes from 80-year-old vines and is crafted by a veteran winemaker of the variety. An extra bonus is its relatively low alcohol content, which helps in a long-lasting battle! (If you're wondering why old vines play a role, check out the factors of wine quality here.)

Lastly, an out-of-the-box choice that pairs amazingly with oven-roasted lamb, especially if flavored with rosemary, is a high-quality, new-age sparkling retsina, such as Botanic Brut Sparkling from the Nikolou Winery. Sparkling wine with lamb, and retsina at that? Dare to try it, and thank us later!

A fan of red wines? Let's see how we can proceed, either classically with the king Xinomavro or alternatively with something more eccentric:

Start with Artisans Vignerons de Naoussa Naoussa 2017, a wine that is the result of the passion of a union of cultivators who have a common factor in the northern grape ambassador. All the well-known and irreplaceable characteristics are here, such as the sharp acidity, the many well-worked tannins, and of course, the unique aromatic profile that is its greatest asset.

Alternatively, and with the addition of a small amount of Negoska, Xinomavro also excels further west in Goumenissa of Kilkis. There, the Ktima Kir-Yiannis offers us now the "Goumenissa 2019" from 25-year-old vineyards, overflowing with complexity and freshness.

If we want an "international" choice, Syrah is probably the only way, as it fits the basic characteristics we seek, and it is perhaps the international variety that has most adapted like a "glove" to our country.

We would recommend two labels that have been around for many years, proving their timeless quality. Choose either the more elegant version in Kitrvs Syrah 2016 with an intense aromatic profile and peppery character or the fuller and more concentrated version in the award-winning Nostos Syrah 2018 from the Manousakis Winery in Rethymno.

Closing with the reds, we have a more unconventional but foolproof choice, especially if you embrace a more French approach to lamb with less cooking than usual. Try the Mouchtaro from the Musson Estate and let its "electric" acidity and the unwavering signature aromatic profile of strawberry, tobacco, and chocolate tame the meat.

For the end, paired with a blue cheese, or just on its own, don't forget to put on the table one of the top sweet wines from all over Greece at a global level: Mavrodaphnes, Muscats, Vinsanto of Santorini are good choices. If you have to choose only one, give a chance to the highly awarded and centuries-old Malvasia 2012 from the Tsimpidi Winery.

Happy Easter!

 

Stavros Moustakas Oktapodas DipWSET