It's important to choose your dictionaries carefully, I've found. Word definitions can vary in critical ways. For example, some dictionaries define "fasting" as abstinence from food or drink, while others simply go with the food part. For Lent this year, I chose Dictionary.com as my authority and abstained from the Oxford English Dictionary. This meant that I got to drink alcohol for the past seven weeks while my religious brethren were sipping Diet Coke. Call me a crafty Christian (or just plain thirsty). Besides, I had a job to do, and it involves wine.
If you celebrate Easter, you may be pawing a corkscrew right now, pondering how to break that Oxford fast on Sunday. I have some ideas. Mostly, they're red because I like to take my colour cue on this occasion from another book, the Bible.
It's pretty safe to assume that the Last Supper, Jesus's final social repast before rising up and giving Christians the gift of Easter, involved red wine. Virtually all decent wine in 33 AD was red. Tannins from the grape skins ensured the wine wouldn't quickly spoil from contact with oxygen in the less-than-hermetic vessels of the era. What's more, whites fermented at ambient temperature in Jerusalem, as opposed to the refrigerated vats common today, would likely have been brutal stuff, especially without the advantage of a tableside ice bucket.
Then there's the biblical record. Jesus reinterpreted the Passover meal by solemnly declaring to the Apostles that the wine represented His blood about to be shed on the cross. I'll wager my Valrhona-chocolate Easter bunny that those Apostles weren't sipping anemic pinot grigio. They were drinking something more sanguine.
In multicultural Canada, there will be all sorts of feasts on the table. You may prefer to serve white if planning Asian fare or poultry (try viognier for Indian, riesling for Chinese or roast turkey). Most of the wines below, though, should match nicely with lamb, the traditional Easter main course in many regions. The scores are high because the wines are all good.
Château Rocher Lideyre 2006 (France)
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $15.95
Wow, what value. Most Bordeaux at this price would be better suited for the braising pot than fine stemware. Mostly merlot, it's from the Côtes de Castillon appellation and shows a solid core of ripe, plum-like fruit with notes of graphite and tobacco underpinning a faintly musky, seductive aroma. Go ahead and splurge on a leg of lamb. You can rescue the budget by skimping on this.
Allegrini La Grola 2006 (Italy)
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $27.95
A belt-notch shy of full-bodied, this velvety Venetian serves up ripe, Amarone-style fruit without the raisin-like syrupy quality - more Cherry Blossom than Raisinets. It gets lift from a touch of spice and mouth-cleansing acidity. The match: lamb loin. In B.C., look for a fine, similarly styled red from the same producer, Allegrini Palazzo delle Torre Veronese ($29.99).
Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 (California)
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $29.95
Rich for a pinot noir, as can be expected from the sunny Santa Maria Valley, it's a better match for lamb than the typically leaner pinot noirs from cooler climates, such as Burgundy. Ripe and creamy in texture, it suggests dark berries and a nuance of herbs along with some warmth from the 14.5-per-cent alcohol.
Sélection Laurence Féraud Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret 2008 (France)
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $14.95
A classic southern Rhône gem at a fetching price, this blend of grenache and syrah is supple and fruity, with a strong savoury essence of lavender and thyme. Think roast leg of lamb in an herb-infused marinade.
Beni di Batasiolo Barolo 2006 (Italy)
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $29.95
At the low end of the price range for Barolo, here's a relative bargain. Full-bodied, it offers up textbook flavours of cherry juice and violet, with fine-grained, sticky tannins and solid but not overbearing acidity. It would be a good accompaniment to braised lamb shanks. In British Columbia, look for its very good sibling, Batasiolo Barbaresco ($31.99).
Baronia del Montsant Flor D'Englora Roure 2009 (Spain)
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $15.95
Sunday-mass veterans may detect a whiff of old church pew here. Mostly grenache and carignan with dollops of syrah, merlot and tempranillo, it delivers succulent fruit and a dusting of ground pepper. Close your eyes and you might be persuaded it's a much more expensive Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Bring on the lamb chops.
Vinas Elias Mora
2008 (Spain)
SCORE: 90 PRICE:
$14.95
Made from tinta de toro (an alternative name for tempranillo), it greets the palate with a firm handshake of dry tannins similar to the sensation
of strong, black tea.
Then it loosens up with flavours of plum, tobacco and cedar. Decant it if
you can and serve it with rack of lamb.
Domaine de la
Ville Rouge Inspiration
Crozes-Hermitage 2007 (France)
SCORE: 89 PRICE: $21.95
Quality varies significantly from producer to producer in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation of the northern Rhône Valley. Here's an overachiever. Look for classic white pepper and an essence of gamey meat as well as chocolate and ready-to-drink fruitiness. If your lamb shanks have been braised in a base that includes bacon or pancetta, this would do it proud.
Château Saint-André Corbin 2008 (France)
SCORE: 89 PRICE: $21.95
Restrained plum, sticky tannins and a hint of dry earth - no surprise for a merlot-based Bordeaux. Good value and another good partner for leg of lamb.