Wonderful Wines For Easter Dinner

It has become something of an American custom to serve ham on Easter Sunday, when there are enough people around the table to consume one—Dorothy Parker once quipped that “Eternity is a ham and two people”—although lamb is far more preferred in Europe, as a reminder that Christ was the “Agnus Dei” (Lamb of God). The affinity of American ham with Easter seems more a matter of availability than tradition, since Americans eat about 48 pounds of pork per year per person, compared with less than a pound of lamb. The British tend to serve one or the other.

On an American table at Easter the appetizers vary widely from region to region, with potato-cheese casseroles and springtime asparagus abundant, and for dessert many families will serve some sort of cheesecake. In Eastern Orthodox families, a meal after midnight Mass breaks the Lenten fast with a number of cold meat items, including sausages, and the desserts are always a domed cake called kulich (similar to Italian panettone) and syrna paska, an unbaked farmer’s cheese pudding.

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The options for wine, then, are myriad, but very heavy varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon are not ideal, although an Italian Amarone della Valpolicella, with its slightly sweet undertone, goes very well with honey-glazed ham. Here are some fit for any Easter table.

Gancia Rosé Prosecco ($17)—Changes in the Italian wine laws as of 2020 now allow prosecco to be made as a rose (rosato), and Gancia, which pioneered Italian sparkling wine in the 19th century, now offers this lovely spumante from Asti made with Glera and Pinot Noir grapes aged for 60 days. This is not one of those cloyingly sweet Asti Spumantes of the past. It has freshness, good acid and just enough sweetness to make it a wonderful aperitif, or to carry through with ham.

Laetitia Reserve du Domaine Pinot Noir 2019 ($44)—Pinot Noir, when not too brash, is a very fine match with ham or lamb, never overpowering delicate flavors when the alcohol is below 14.5% as with this luscious example from the Arroyo Grande Valley, whose cooler temperatures keep it in balance. It’s a blend of wines from various lots to lend complexity and it spends 11 months in new oak.

Dry Creek Sparkling Chenin Blanc ($50)—The vineyard began in 1972 under founder David S. Stare, with his first vintage of Chenin Blanc, and to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the winery has debuted its first sparkling Chenin Blanc in the méthode champenoise tradition. It is fermented in stainless steel and retains all the fruit and moderate acid you could ask for in a varietal unusual for California sparklers. Its pleasing fresh grass notes will go well, even with asparagus, which is notorious for making wines taste bad, and with any cheese dessert it is terrific.

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($15)—New Zealand made its reputation for modern winemaking with a tsunami of overripe, Hawaiian Punch-type wines that hit big in the U.S. This example is a far less in-your-face style at a good price, with the expected tropical notes and a vibrancy that goes well with most Easter appetizers and cheeses. The label reads “Made for the Moment,” and that’s good advice; no need to store for the future.

Gran Moraine Yamhill Carlton Chardonnay 2018 ($45)—My preference for finesse in Chardonnays has been running more and more to Oregon examples, and Gran Moraine’s is a beauty, not oaky nor caramelized, but wholly expressive of the fruit with just 13% alcohol. It’s a good bet for cold salmon or vegetable soups.

San Floriano Cantina di Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva 2011 ($190)—At a whopping 16.5% alcohol, this is an old-style and well-aged Amarone that will remind you of the power and complexity, the leathery notes and the rich bittersweetness of the traditional style. That said, it would be delightful with a big winter game dish like venison, and would even work with the fattier parts of baby lamb at Easter. But, if you’re serving a ham that has been glazed with honey, or covered with brown sugar and studded with cloves and slices of pineapple, this is certainly going to give you an exciting match, and, since it’s almost Port-like, it will also go with a cheese dessert.