WINE O’CLOCK: Some cracking reds to go with your Easter eggs
NO lambs will die on my account this Easter. It’s not a matter of principle, I just don’t like the meat very much. It tends to be fatty or stringy or both.
If you disagree, I recommend Chateau Moulin de Mallet as an accompaniment, a fruity red from Bordeaux (€16.95 in The Wine Centre, Kilkenny). Or you might try Eco 2013, a somewhat similar offering from Chile (€13.99, The Wine Centre) which blends Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
I might go for duck in a cassoulet – or with an unusual Neven Maguire recipe for a smoked duck salad with raspberries. Dunnes, who work with Mr Maguire, recommend a Malbec called Esquinas de Argento (€14.99) to go with it.
Or I might pick a simple chicken dish like coq au vin. Sling any old red into the pot but pick a nice Fleurie to drink with it. You can pay a lot for wines of this name but SuperValu has a very good, velvet-smooth Fleurie Andre Goichot at €14.90 and Dunnes have the always reliable Ponnelle Fleurie at €14.
My dislike of lamb only stretches to legs and racks of ribs. I have no problem with lamb stews or tagines and I would recommend Côtes du Roussillon, Languedoc reds or a crianza Rioja to go with them.
And what wine goes with Easter eggs? Maybe Chateau Bois Pertuis Bordeaux (€12.50, Dunnes) which tastes a little of chocolate and liquorice.
No wine goes with real eggs – unless you are drinking at breakfast, in which case try red biddy.
MICHAEL WOLSEY
