In Italy, Easter is not only a religious celebration, but also an excellent food and wine occasion to taste typical dishes and enjoy the pleasures of the table in conviviality. Those who decide to spend Easter at home, with friends or relatives, are used to prepare a festive lunch with food that often has a particular meaning linked to history and local traditions. On these Easter tables, wine-pairing plays an important role.
From region to region, the Easter lunch brings classic dishes and traditional festive recipes to the table. Each family chooses, in fact, whether to honor their own rituals that are repeated from generation to generation, or to experiment with something new, thanks to the spring season that offers delicious first fruits.
But, speaking of wine, what is the best wine pairing for Easter lunch? What are the right wine pairings to avoid mistakes?
Wine for Easter: what to combine with the appetizers
From North to South, Italians are imaginative and original, but there will certainly be the traditional Easter quiches based on eggs, seasonal vegetables and cheese, such as the famous “Torta Pasqualina”, a Ligurian specialty based on ricotta and spinach that you choose from the menu as appetizer. The right combination with this classic food is with a fresh white wine, ideal for opening the meal, like our Streda from the Villa da Vinci collection: a tuscan Vermentino with a strong fruity aroma.
Wine for Easter: what to combine with seasonal dishes
The first courses are usually based on fresh pasta, seasoned with seasonal vegetables – such as asparagus or artichokes or stuffed with rich cheeses to celebrate the feast day. The pairing with the wines is oriented towards easy and versatile bottles that go well with any version of pasta, such as Portocanale di Cesenatico from the 1502 Da Vinci in Romagna collection, a new rosé made from Sangiovese grapes with a surprising character.
Wine for Easter: what to pair with lamb
For those who eat meat, in Italy lamb is certainly the most traditional option. Throughout Italy there are different recipes to prepare lamb for Easter: fried, roasted, stewed, with “cacio e ova”, or in the crock. With sheep meat, the wine pairing includes a full-bodied red with great personality: the choice is wide, from Chianti DOCG Leonardo da Vinci to Brunello di Montalcino DOCG from the I Capolavori collection or S.to Ippolito Toscana IGT – a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Syrah. Alternatively, there is no lack of a fresh and fragrant white to combine with fish-based preparations, such as Duomo di Faenza, a Trebbiano white wine interpreted in a modern key included in the 1502 Da Vinci in Romagna collection.
Wines for Easter cakes
There are many rules when it comes to pairing food and wine, even in terms of desserts one prevails: dessert goes well with a sweet wine. Therefore, for doves, Easter eggs and for all regional specialties such as Venetian fugasse, Neapolitan casatiello or pastiera, our Vin Santo from the Villa da Vinci collection is the right sweet wine to end the meal.
