'These are the best red wines to complement your lamb dinner this Easter'

If you are lucky enough to have a houseful then now is the time to head out and gather a few nice bites and bottles to make this weekend really special.

Of course, it helps if you can rustle up a nice joint of lamb for tomorrow’s lunch. Easter is the classic time to stud a leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic, then roast it in a hot oven.

Its delicate, sweet meat is a joy with all the usual accompaniments of roasties, Yorkshire pudding and a selection of veg.

But make sure you steer clear of those flavour hazards that usually get brought out with lamb.

Go easy on the redcurrant jelly and certainly don’t let mint sauce go within a mile of your plate.

A full roast is the option for a large family gathering but if numbers are limited then a rack of lamb takes almost no time to cook, leaving you free to head out for a walk or just a wander around the garden.

Either way you will need to line up a bottle or two to accompany the meal. The wine you choose to accompany this dish will set the tone for the day, so select with care.

Rioja is the classic wine to accompany lamb. Its gentle cherry and redcurrant fruit flavours, usually with a light touch of oak, marry perfectly with the meat.

In particular, youthful Riojas with the emphasis on fruit, show that this favourite region has re-invented itself.

Cune is one of Spain’s largest wine producers, but it still makes good quality, authentic wines, and Cune Rioja Crianza (Tesco £10.50) is juicy, full of raspberry and bramble fruit and is light enough to accompany a simple rack of lamb especially if it is served alongside a salad and a few new potatoes.

If you have the full roast dinner in the oven then head to Waitrose where a single bottle of Beronia Rioja Reserva 2020 will cost you £17.50 but if you buy it as part of their mix six 25% off deal which ends on April 7, then the price is just £13.13, so buy lots.

This is a warm, food-friendly style of Rioja with ripe damson and raspberry fruit, a touch of cinnamon and light oak. It combines with lamb without dominating the dish.

Step up to Contino Reserva 2020 (Roberts and Speight £24.99). Contino wines always have a sheen of quality with cherry and plum fruit, oak and structure in perfect harmony. I tasted this vintage just a week or so ago and it was delicious with silky, ripe fruit.

Red Bordeaux is another classic partner for lamb and now I urge everyone to go out and buy as much “Claret’ as possible this weekend.

The term ‘claret’ is about to be hijacked and used to describe a new style of Bordeaux wines which will be young, fruity and apparently very drinkable. In general, this seems like a great idea, but these ‘drinkable’ wines will also be allowed to contain up to 7 grammes per litre of residual sugar, and this is very bad.

The reason behind changing the meaning of the word ‘claret’ is that Bordeaux is drowning in its own wine and, in an attempt to attract more Gen Z drinkers, the term ‘claret’ will be assigned to fruity, chillable, semi-sweet wines.

After all, it is only us Brits who actually use the term, so from the French point of view, does it really matter? Whether they will sell more Bordeaux wine is debatable, but it may well cause a backlash amongst claret-drinking Brits.

Tesco’s Des Tourelles Claret 2023 (£5.50) is a bargain wine, made mainly from soft juicy Merlot with a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon and the merest hint of Cabernet Franc.

The result is a soft, easy, fruit-filled wine with just enough structure to stand up to a lamb chop.

Waitrose’s Blueprint Reserve Claret 2023 (£7.50, down by 25% when you buy a mix six) is a soft, red berry and plums style of wine that will drink well with lamb, cheese or even a pasta dish.

Marks and Spencer’s Organic Claret 2024 is bigger, weightier and more complex and will age rather well for several years and at just £10 is a real bargain.

The new-style claret will be available from the 2025 vintage which is already in tank ready for the bottling line, so once that vintage hits the shelves, head for one of the regional names such as Médoc, Margaux or St Emilion for sensible drinking that will perfectly partner roast lamb.

Waitrose has Dourthe’s Réserve Montagne St Emilion 2022, at £14.50 which is drinking well right now with bright, cassis fruit and soft tannins, but it is worth splashing out on Croix des Coteaux Saint-Emilion 2020 at £16 for its complex, serious style with dark red fruits and a long, elegant finish.

Both wines cost 25% less if you buy a mix six by April 7.

As a finale to the meal, a chocolate pud is essential at Easter.

If you have some port left over from Christmas, then bring it out from the back of the cupboard where it has been languishing for several months and decide what to do with it.

If it has lost its top notes, then pour a splash into every sauce and gravy you make until it is finished.

Alternatively, if it is still drinkable, then a glass of ruby or Late Bottled Vintage port makes a fine accompaniment to all kinds of chocolate desserts.

Re-stock with the smooth, plums and blackberry flavours of Taylor’s LBV port, currently down from £20.50 to £15 at Booths.

At this price you can afford to pour it generously as a mid-morning restorative after a brisk walk.

Now clocks have gone forward and there is spring in the air, then a glass of English Sparkling Wine becomes necessary whenever the sun decides to shine.

Morrisons English Sparkling Grand Reserve, made by a top-notch producer still wins the taste test at £24, but head to Waitrose and Classic Cuvée Nyetimber (£43, down by 25% on a mix six) for the rounded, creamy, savoury, toasted brioche tastes that shows that England really can make exceptional sparkling wines.