A new season is upon us, so it’s time to spring clean your wine rack! Check out our 6 delicious spring recipes for some food and wine pairing ideas.
Spring Lamb
This amazing recipe is accompanied by a vegetable platter with mint sauce, Chianti gravy and chocolate fondue! The lamb works best with a smooth, powerful red wine. Chianti is already used in the recipe, so you can enjoy polishing off the rest of the bottle after all slaving over a hot stove. You could also try it with some Rioja. With so much going on in the dish, the smooth, fruity flavours and strong backbone bring out the best in the flavours.
Get the full recipe here.
Source: jamieoliver.com
Spring Vegetable Tagliatelle
This fabulous dish makes the most of spring vegetables in season; you can use peas, asaparagus or green beans. The lemon and chive sauce gives it some real zing. So which wine to pair with it? You could try a lovely, crisp Soave from Veneto in Italy. With characteristic aromas of melon and apple with lemon and almond on the palate, this wine makes the most of the freshness of the dish.
Get the full recipe here.
Source: bbcgoodfood.com
Sausage and Spring Mash Pie
This seasonal take on the British classic is the perfect comfort food for those chilly Spring evenings. The ingredients for the recipe include a full-bodied red wine. Why not try a Chilean Merlot? They tend to be fuller-bodied than their cool climate counterparts. The herbaceous character matches well with the thyme in the dish and the dark fruit flavours really pack a punch.
Get the full recipe here.
Source: bbcgoodfood.com
Pea and Mint Soup
This light and healthy soup is perfect for blowing out the winter cobwebs. Peas are in season at the moment and the mint adds a refreshing element to the soup. An unoaked Chardonnay such as a Chablis from Burgundy would work well with this dish. It is crisp but the flavours are subtle enough not to overwhelm the soup. The citrus flavours in the wine tie in nicely with the lemon juice in the soup.
Get the full recipe here.
Source: bbcgoodfood.com
Parmesan Spring Chicken
This flavoursome chicken with a parmesan crust works brilliantly with spring vegetables. You can use any that take your fancy but this is the time of year that new potatoes are at their best. (Jersey Royals are a personal favourite!). The strong flavour of the cheese crust needs a wine of equal footing. Try an oaked Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley, California. Full-bodied but still crisp, with vanilla and toasty flavours layered on top of green fruits.
Get the full recipe here.
Source: bbcgoodfood.com
Risotto Primavera
This is a delicious springtime dish which takes advantages of so many fresh vegetables. It uses asparagus as a key ingredient, which comes into season around the end of April. An aromatic, floral Viognier would be the perfect foil the rich texture of the risotto and complements the fresh, spring flavours. Try one from Condrieu in Northern Rhone, the birthplace of the notoriously fickly grape variety.
Get the full recipe here.
Source: bbcgoodfood.com