Wines of Easter
After the fasting period, we look forward to the Anastasi and the Easter dinners and lunch. To make these feasts more interesting, we have assembled our Easter wine pairings. Since we are avid supporters of Cyprus wine culture and of the fine wines of Cyprus, our proposals will be mostly of a Cyprus wine selection.
These are the best wines for Easter proposal by the team of experts of Variety of Experience!
Wines for Anastasi
It is accustomed on Anastasi night when returning from church to enjoy a feast!
The first dish is always a soup, either a “magiritsa” or even an “avgolemomoni”. These are two soups preparing us to break the fast smoothly.
Magiritsa, with its herbal character due to the addition of dill, will go well with a Sauvignon Blanc wine. However, the livers added make the soup thick, so the wine must have body. This wine can only be Magic Mountain White, a dry white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc that has spent six months on oak barrels. Another excellent choice is an aromatic Malagouzia! Drink either Papagiannakos “Kalogeri” Malagouzia or Nico Lazaridi Malagousia.
For the avgolemoni soup, where the lemon is one of the primary flavours, we suggest a dry white wine made from Xynisteri that has a citrusy character such as Ayios Andronicos Xynisteri or a Zambartas Xynisteri.
After the soup, many people enjoy either some flaouna or even lamb (roasted or oven baked).
Flaouna with its pungent cheesy character – with or without raisins-, is quite savory so it will pair well with a dry white wine. Promara, makes premium wines of Cyprus and it is quite gastronomic. Therefore, Flaouna and Promara, is a match made in heaven! However, when thinking about a type of cheese pie, we must propose Papagiannakos Savatiano as it is a great wine to enjoy it with!
For the lamb dish, we will follow the saying “what grows together, goes together”. Cyprus’ lamb souvla and oven baked lamb are traditional dishes that should be paired with a quintessential grape variety of Cyprus. And that is none other than Maratheftiko. A variety that produces full bodied wines, with aromas of black fruit, violet notes, and distinctive herbal elements. Enjoy it with lamb and you will thank us! For Anastasi night, we propose Chrysorrogiatissa Winery’s Maratheftiko.
Wines for Easter Dinner & Easter Lunch
During Easter Day, the feast continues, and it is mostly meat-based, either barbecue i.e. “souvla” or meat slowly cooked for hours for in the traditional Cypriot ovens. And if some people follow Greece’s traditions, kokoretsi or ovelias will also be served.
In case you are enjoying lamb-based dishes, as mentioned earlier, Maratheftiko is a great choice. Another Maratheftiko to taste is Zambartas Winery’s Maratheftiko, that has a full body, yet an elegant mouthfeel. For the white wine lovers, one of the best choices for lamb is a full body Assyrtiko. Our recommendation is Vassaltis Barrel-Aged Santorini, a 100% Assyrtiko that has spent some time in oak.
The oily and fatty kokoretsi, is best enjoyed with Agiorgitiko, that has a red fruit character and will refresh the palate. Pair kokoretsi with Mitravelas Ktima Nemea or Mitravelas Red on Black, one of the best Agiorgitikos with no oak ageing. Of course, Kokoretsi needs a wine with acidity, so a gastronomic rosé wine is a great choice. For example, Nico Lazaridi Evil Eye, a premium rosé made from Xinomavro and Zambartas Rosé, a blend of Lefkada and Cabernet Franc.
In case you are cooking ovelias, we can think of nothing better than a Xinomavro! Its’ piercing acidity will balance the fatty character of the lamb and its black and red fruit character will freshen up the palate from all the smokiness. Chatzivariti Domaine’s Goumenissa, a blend of Xinomavro and Negkoska is the perfect pairing for ovelia and any lamb-based barbeques. And if you want a 100% Xinomavro wine, Nico Lazaridi Xinomavro is a great choice. On the other hand, ovelias is also great with powerful red wines so try a Monastiri by Chrysorriatissa Winery made form Cabernet Franc, Magic Mountain Red (Cabernet Sauvignon- Cabernet Franc) and Zambartas Shiraz- Lefkada.
For the guests who do not eat meat but prefer fish or seafood on the grill, our recommendation calls for an Assyrtiko such as Vassaltis Santorini, Papagiannakos Assyrtiko or Nico Lazaridi Assyrtiko.
To end the Easter, feast a creamy dessert is the perfect finish. Galaktoboureko, Ekmek Kantaifi, a citrus panna cotta or even an orange-based cream will be lovely with Papagiannakos Melias, a delicious dessert wine made from Malagouzia.
Buy these wines from wine shops and from our voe.cy
Happy Easter!
