Easter: that magical time of year when we gather to consume our body weight in ham and hollow chocolate bunnies. Traditionally, it’s a wholesome, pastel-hued affair — but let’s be honest, by hour three of listening to your great aunt June’s diatribe about her herb garden, you’re going to need a drink. Or six.
Luckily, I’ve compiled a list of unexpected (and surprisingly fabulous) wine and beverage pairings for Easter dinner and those post-dinner cocoa monstrosities you pretend you’re “saving for the kids.” Let’s elevate your Easter with a little irreverence and a lot of alcohol.
Glazed Ham & Off-Dry Riesling
Sweet, salty, and a little sticky — and that’s just Uncle Joel after his third helping. Glazed ham screams for something that can cut through the sugar and salt without picking a fight. Enter: off-dry Riesling. The gentle sweetness says, “I’m polite,” while the acidity says, “I came to slay.” It’s balance. It’s brilliance. It’s what your ham deserves.
Recommendation — Try the Weingut Frey Feinherb Riesling or up your game with a sparkling Riesling like the Bender Riesling Sekt Brut.
Roasted Vegetables & Orange Wine
You spent two hours chopping carrots into whimsical shapes. Time to feel smug and slightly avant-garde with a glass of orange wine. It’s got tannins, complexity, and just enough “what is this?” to make everyone at the table pretend they knew about skin-contact wines all along. Bonus: it looks vaguely Easter-appropriate in the glass. Aesthetic and chaotic. Like your cousin Jerome.
Recommendation — The Parajes Del Valle Orange Wine or Ribolla Gialla. Both will shine.
Lamb & Syrah/Shiraz
Lamb is rich, gamey, and usually cooked by someone who says “sear” with a bit too much veracity. It needs something bold & peppery — Syrah or Shiraz, depending on your mood and how much you enjoy correcting the In-laws. This is a grown-up pairing for people who pretend they don’t drink out of novelty mugs the rest of the year.
Recommendation — Go with Huella de Syrah or stay Canadian with Burrowing Owl.
Scalloped Potatoes & Chardonnay (the Oaky Kind)
Creamy, cheesy, utterly indulgent — scalloped potatoes are the side dish equivalent of a long exhale. Pair it with a buttery, oak-aged Chardonnay and let your taste buds recline in a leather armchair and contemplate retirement. It’s rich on rich. Like Succession, but edible.
Recommendation — Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay or Quails’ Gate.
Now, let’s talk chocolate. Yes, you bought it for the kids. Yes, you are now hiding in the pantry eating the ears off a hollow bunny. I’m not judging. I’m a willing participant. Let’s pair.
Milk Chocolate Eggs & Tawny Port
Milk chocolate is sweet, smooth, and utterly unchallenging — like a rom-com starring two actors you vaguely recognize. Pair it with a tawny port for a decadent sugar-on-sugar combo that says, “I came here to feel everything.” It’s indulgent. It’s dramatic. It’s what you need after pretending to enjoy small talk all day. You won’t remember the conversation but you’ll remember the pairing.
Recommendation — Anything Taylor Fladgate, Kopke or Grahams
Dark Chocolate Bunny & Appassimento
That 70% cacao masterpiece you bought “because it’s healthier”? Yeah. That pairs beautifully with a bold Appassimento style wine. Big, smooth fruit meets brooding bitterness — it’s practically a love story. One bite, one sip, and suddenly you’re making meaningful eye contact with your own reflection, “Hello beautiful”.
Recommendation —Gallasi Sangiovese Appassimento or Zenato Amarone Classico.
Cadbury Creme Egg & Espresso Martini
This pairing is chaos, and so are you. The absurd sugar bomb that is the Creme Egg somehow works with the coffee, vodka, and pure audacity of an espresso martini. The drink wakes you up. The egg puts you back into a sugar coma. Together, they form the kind of dysfunctional brilliance usually reserved for pop duos and reality TV finalists.
Recommendation — Crystal Head Espresso Martini or even the Mountain Joe Shaft.
Final Thoughts
Easter may be about tradition, but there’s no reason your drink choices have to be. Pair boldly. Pair recklessly. If anyone asks why you’re swirling rosé with a mini egg in your mouth, just tell them: “It’s a pairing. Look it up.” And whenever great aunt June says the word “pruning” take another swig.