Next to chocolate ovoids, the most likely food on most Easter tables will be a roast of young lamb. What wine should you choose to do it justice? Whether you're intent on a bargain bottle or happy to shell out a flamboyant fortune, it's worth trying to pick something with flavours that will enhance but not overpower that tender and delicious meat.
Red Bordeaux is the classic choice - a favourite match on its own home ground for the lamb raised on the salt marshes around the Gironde estuary. And I must say it's my own No 1 nomination. But Cabernet Sauvignon from elsewhere can also work well provided it doesn't suffer from the common New World affliction of being too young and too overtly fruity. The Spanish grape Tempranillo is another good candidate when it has a few years under its belt - especially in Rioja. Here are a few suggestions:
Vizconde de Ayala, Rioja Crianza, 1995 (O'Briens Fine Wines, £5.95). What a find, when Rioja prices generally have lost all touch with reality! This near-winner in our Wine Competition offers true Rioja character in very approachable form for the cost of an Easter egg. Buy lots.
Chateau de Passedieu, Cotes de Bourg, 1996 (Oddbins, £6.99). Better on the palate than the nose, this is a soft, ample and very affordable claret. Ripe blackcurrant fruit, a nice dash of pepper and a long, assertive finish.
Vina Tarapaca Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Gran Reserva, 1994 (most SuperValus/Centras, usually £9.99). From a Chilean range that's new to Ireland, a mature, serious Cabernet with leathery aromas and a meaty backbone more typical of Bordeaux. Succulent and elegant.
Chateau de Lamarque, Haut Medoc, Cru Bourgeois, 1995 (Mitchells, Kildare Street and Glasthule, £14.95). Like the perfect guest, this is the one that will always be welcome, always engaging, never let you down. See Bottle of the Week.
Geoff Merrill Cabernet Sauvignon, South Australia, 1992 (Vintry Rathgar, Redmonds Ranelagh, Corks Terenure, Deveneys Dundrum, Higgins Clonskeagh, SuperValu Raheny, Cheers Comet Santry, Mill Wine Cellar Maynooth and other outlets, usually £14.99). Grapes from Coonawarra, Australia's best Cabernet region, make this a super wine; the 1992 is especially minty, making it a natural for lamb.