Special Easter food and wine pairings!

The Easter meal is inextricably linked with lamb and eggs. The presence of eggs harks back to an ancient tradition that associates eggs, symbols of birth, with Easter. Eggs, long forbidden during the Lenten period, make a comeback with meat at Easter, marking the end of the fasting period. This is why Easter pâté is a combination of egg and meat.

Which wines to drink with Easter pâté?

To accompany your Easter pâté, you can opt for a classic pairing with a wine from the same region. In this case, choose a dry, rather young red wine from the Loire vineyards. Choose from Chinon, Saumur-Champigny, Bourgueil or Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil.

Other choices are available for lovers of fuller-bodied, more mature red wines, with a more pronounced tannic presence. Be careful, however, not to overwhelm the dish with an overpowering wine. In the latter case, you could opt for a Côte du Rhône village, a Fitou or a Corsican wine such as the Patrimonio appellation.

What about lamb?

Lamb is a fine meat with a spicy taste. It's a meat with character, and requires wines that can support its relatively powerful taste. Depending on the type of lamb (age and origin), the cut chosen and how it is prepared, the choice of wines will differ.

• Leg of lamb

A leg of lamb cooked quickly in the oven to keep the meat pink, with all its juices and freshness, goes perfectly with a Syrah from Côte Rotie or Cornas. Alternatively, a red from the Médoc or Corbières is more powerful. If your leg of lamb is flavored with aromatic herbs and garlic, don't hesitate to pair it with a characterful red such as Bandol or Cahors. If you opt for the traditional seven o'clock leg of lamb, with its tender, candied meat, a sufficiently powerful Burgundy with delicate tannins, such as a Pommard, will go well with your meat.

• Shoulder of lamb

A simply roasted or oven-braised shoulder of lamb will go elegantly with a Bordeaux from the Grave, Pauillac or Saint Emilion appellations. You can also pair it with a red Loire wine made from Cabernet Franc, such as Saumur or Saumur Champigny. On the other hand, a long, slow-cooked shoulder in a casserole, possibly accompanied by dried fruit, will develop candied notes to which you can associate a Pomerol still on the fruit for a harmony of opposites, or a Côtes du Rhône with a nice acidity.

• Navarin

This dish calls for fresh, fruity red wines that combine richness and suppleness. The Languedoc region offers a wide range of red wines to match your navarin: Pic-Saint-Loup, Corbières or Minervois. The southern Côtes du Rhône can also be an excellent accompaniment to your dish, not forgetting the Loire with its Chinon or Bourgueil.