While some of us may still be reeling from the shocking mark-ups on certain vintages – a glass of 2015 Bordeaux for the price of a flight to Bordeaux, for example – there is still joy to be found and sipped this spring. I am not talking about the dogma of ordering a bottle of Chin Chin for £27 in an otherwise expensive restaurant – though this, frankly, will never be a poor choice. I am simply suggesting that we should perhaps explore the world of drinking at home, the kind where no one is pressuring you into a second mortgage for “a little extra something to finish the meal”. As we pass the vernal equinox, this is exactly the plan.
Mid-strength wines
Fortunately, the days of boozy Barossa Shiraz flattening your palate like a bulldozer are behind us. Whilst we may remember an odd dinner party in Clapham, having polished off a 15% ABV Argentinian Malbec, only to wake up feeling like we’ve spent the night being repeatedly kicked in the head by a horse, spring may call upon a little more dignity. Perhaps a bit more of nodding sagely at a glass and thinking about what’s gone into the bottle and not just wondering if there’s any bread left.
It’s true – the mid-strength wines are in. Not the anaemic, watered down ones. And in the absence of a definition of what constitutes mid-strength, consider German Spätburgunder (aka German Pinot Noir) which clocks in around a delightfully civilised ABV 11%, offering delicate red fruit and spice. Another wonderful example is Schiava from Alto Adige which is all about strawberries and Alpine air – something of an Audrey Hepburn of red wines. It is a strong contender for an aperitif if properly chilled, too.
And for spring garden drinking when the evenings are just warm enough to delude yourself into al fresco sipping but still sufficiently cold to bypass the need for a wine cooler, go for a Muscat or a Loureiro-based Vinho Verde, allowing you to have a second or third glass – no intervention from a concerned friend required.
The case for a vertical tasting
If there is one thing that the terminally pretentious love, it’s a vertical tasting. And there is no better grape for it than Riesling. It really doesn’t have to involve you muttering how 2018 really was a warm year whilst wearing a turtleneck. Instead, it proves a rare opportunity to better understand how the growing conditions affect the wine, in addition to any changes to techniques used by the winemaker. In many ways, it offers a glimpse into all the ‘behind the scenes’ drama to do with hailstorms and frost, or even the occasional financial crisis, essentially offering a reality TV experience, if you will. Given that it’s so straightforward to set up at home, simply choose a favourite producer and a wine, source a few successive vintages, and taste them from young to old (or, rather, in the opposite order, if you prefer). Easily sourced and relatively inexpensive are the Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Riesling vintages, and with this grape’s remarkable ageing potential, it truly pays for itself. Perpetually popular are some of the better known English sparkling wines from Nyetimber which arguably produce the best sparkling wine in the UK. If you’re feeling like hopping between quite a few bottles this Easter, consider Blanc de Blancs 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2014.
Easter pairings
Every year, well-meaning food writers attempt to convince us that chocolate and wine are the best of friends. They are not. Whilst it can be marginally amusing to force-match Chenin Blanc with a Cadbury’s Creme Egg, it is perhaps worth thinking about elevating the traditional Easter feast instead. Lamb should only ever be paired with wines that allow it to showcase its freshness so avoid anything which will steamroll it into oblivion. I usually go for a Sangiovese with slightly higher acidity to handle the herbs, garlic and general excess of the meat, but by all means go for a reliable, joy-inducing Tempranillo which will wrap the pink fillet in a warm, vanilla-scented oak embrace.
Alternatively, Bordeaux such as Pauillac or Margaux is perfect if you speak in the cassis and cedar language (I bet you iron your napkins, too).
Though some of the Jancis Robinson school of thought will argue that the most compelling match for roast beef would be pink fizz or the full Bordeaux supremacy, I would implore you to consider some of the Tuscan blends which are both young and not too tannic, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese blends (Le Difese from Tenuta San Guido, or the stunning Grattamaco from Bolgheri, if you prefer swerving the world-famous Villa Antinori and the associations with it).
Foolishly, Easter is usually a more fish-forward feast for me, sometimes including turbot (and no, it is never done like it is over at Brat in Shoreditch or Kima in Marylebone). I apologise for my culinary shortcomings by offering a nervy, salty Assyrtiko or a well-textured Pinot Noir from Sonoma.
Affordable Burgundy
I was sitting in what some dubbed the hottest new opening in London, with a wine list where the cheapest bottle required a new credit line and a moment of reflection. Following the usual aperitivo, i.e. a lecture on sharing plates delivered with the over-rehearsed charm that made me suspicious, I opted for a glass of Marsannay that was one of the specials (but also relatively inexpensive). The waiter surveyed me with a pitying smirk and whispered, “I see it’s a chilled one for you guys tonight, then?”. Chilled?! I chose a fairly modest white wine because the thought of ordering a lukewarm bottle of a dusty Chablis instead whilst sitting on a stool in absolute darkness made me recoil. It made me wonder why it was that in modern London dining, ordering a bottle that isn’t cloudy, vinegary and described as “challenging” (I still don’t know what they mean by this), is now seen as quaint and positively twee.
But this truly was a brilliant wine, and in Marsannay, like in several other regions in Burgundy, the new generation of winemakers is giving hope for the region’s future. Characterised by limestone and clay soil, these wines come with the expected mineral complexity but with a more significant depth that you’d expect from the Burgundy bubble. Similarly, much wine from the Mâconnais is as dynamic as ever (with subregions such as Vire-Clesse and Pouilly-Vinzelles are outshining the once-mighty Pouilly-Fuisée). They offer all the golden, nutty, citrus-laced charm and with the 2023 vintages hitting the shelves, there appears to be a bit more freshness and intensity.
Buying a reasonably priced bottle these days feels rather like an April Fool’s joke. And yet, somewhere between the £1,500 bottles locked behind glass at Berry Bros. & Rudd and the catastrophic “Bourgogne” that tastes like oxidised Ribena, there is hope.
Where to buy
Here is where to buy some of the wines mentioned above (prices correct as at April 2025)*:
Messmer Spatburgunder 2022, £17.75, The Good Wine Shop.
Schiava DOC Sonntaler, £26.40, Alpine Wines.
Koehler-Ruprecht Riesling Kabinett Trocken ‘Kallstadter’ 2021 (different vintages available), £19, Shrine To The Vine.
Le Difese Tenuta San Guido 2022, £30, Hedonism Wines.
2023 Bolgheri Rosso Grattamacco, £29, Berry Bros.
Domaine André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Cuvee Speciale, 2022, £36.85, Humble Grape.
*This article only includes editorial recommendations and does not contain any affiliate links. None of these traders have asked us to include these wines or incentivised us to mention them.
Photos licensed by Adobe.
April 2025
