Are you doing anything for Easter? I may bake a ham. In principle I prefer lamb, that other, more traditional meat of the celebration. But I feel there's already an entire shepherd's flock running through my veins. For this I blame three things: a) the happy discovery last autumn of a new local gourmet shop that sells an excellent frozen shepherd's pie (and to be an actual "shepherd's pie" it has to be lamb, not beef, or you'd have to call it "cottage pie"); b) a deep-freeze I recently inherited; and c) a monstrous rosemary bush that I have been growing for several years, transplanting indoors each winter.
The rosemary bush – "forest" would be more apt – sits in my TV room in a big planter, dozens of curly arms stretched out like something from Little Shop of Horrors. If it's difficult to watch TV because green branches obscure your view of Lisa LaFlamme, it's time for drastic herb harvesting.
There are other foods that pair well with rosemary, no question, including roast chicken and my two standbys when I'm feeling ambitious: grilled pizza with stinky taleggio cheese and caramelized onions; and a thick pasta e fagioli soup with spicy tomato sauce. But I'm not ashamed to say that most of the time this past winter I took the frozen-pie path of least resistance.
This, I boldly suggest, places me in a reasonably authoritative position to recommend a few wines for your Easter lamb course, whether it's roast leg, grilled chops, braised shanks or humble sausage. Lamb is a gamy meat. That's why cooks often use herbs such as rosemary or a mint jelly in their preparations. You want freshness and verve with the beasty flavour. Sweet jammy fruitiness helps, too.
These counterpoints can be accomplished by wine as well – whether it's an herbal red such as a southern Rhône blend, Loire-style cabernet franc, Chilean carménère, a peppery syrah, jammy primitivo or zinfandel. The list hardly ends there, but it's a fine start.
I think the selections below could do justice to ham but also work beautifully with Globe columnist Lucy Waverman's Scottish shepherd's pie and British celebrity chef and Globe columnist Jamie Oliver's vegetarian shepherd's pie. The latter is made with lentils and sweet potatoes, and I call it Silence of the Yams.
La Célestière Tradition Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2010, France
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $47.95
A big, full-tilt Châteauneuf that's simultaneously fruity and gamy. Pushing 15-per-cent alcohol, this red blend of mostly grenache delivers flavours of plum preserves, licorice, lavender and roasted meat. The alcohol peeks through slightly, but that should not be a problem at a table where the centrepiece is a juicy, savoury leg of lamb or a salty ham. Available in Ontario.
Rustenberg John X Merriman 2012, South Africa
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $24.95
Interested in a well-structured Médoc red from Bordeaux? How about paying two-thirds the price (or less) for this exemplary South African? A classic Bordeaux-style blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec, it's long-aged in oak barrels and would undoubtedly stump many French experts in a blind tasting. Full-bodied, it's ripe but unheavy, with a film of fine-grained tannins providing welcome backbone to the cassis-like fruit and savoury notes of tobacco and spice. Available for $26.99 in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta.
Descendientes de J. Palacios Petalos 2013, Spain
SCORE: 91 PRICE: $24.95
Alvaro Palacios, Spain's foremost New Age winemaker, treats us to an offbeat, connoisseur's red made from the still-too-obscure mencia grape, the crisp, Beaujolais-like signature of the Bierzo district. Medium-bodied and slightly chalky, it offers up flavours of blueberry jam and raspberry, with ample fruity depth lifted by firm acidity. Various prices in Alberta, $27.49 in Manitoba, $23.90 in Quebec, $34.95 in Nova Scotia.
Henry of Pelham Family Tree Red 2013, Ontario
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $18.95
An unusual and captivating Niagara cuvée, this combines syrah – a Rhône Valley signature – with Bordeaux varieties merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon and includes a left-field dollop of gutsy baco noir, a Henry of Pelham signature grape. Experimentation, even in the traditional world of wine, can lead to good things. Peppery-plum notes from the syrah mingle with smoked herbs and fresh acidity. Nicely done. Available in Ontario.
Flat Rock Riesling 2014, Ontario
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $16.95
Considerably sweeter than off-dry, here's a smartly balanced Niagara white that weighs in at an impressively low 9.5-per-cent alcohol. Think of fine German riesling: sweetness countered by zesty lime and green apple, finishing with a salty tang. A fine white for lamb or baked ham or pork dishes of any kind. And a great value. Available in Ontario.
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2015, New Zealand
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $19.95
This wondrous, textbook New Zealand sauvignon blanc, from one of the country's leading producers, is an explosion of freshness, springtime in a bottle. Grapefruit and passion fruit mix with a pasture's worth of fresh grass. Most people prefer red wine with lamb, but this lively white from the land of lamb would be just as compelling. Various prices in Alberta, $22.99 in Manitoba, $27.99 in New Brunswick, $26.28 in Newfoundland.
Casa Rojo Alexander vs The Ham Factory 2012, Spain
SCORE: 90 PRICE: $36.95
There's a pig on the label. It's wearing goggles and has metal gears around its legs. I suppose it's best not to ask. Bottom line: The wine is good, full-bodied and very dry, with chalky tannins and flavours of juicy plum and dark chocolate. Save the pork (sorry) and try it with roast lamb, as the winery suggests. Available in Ontario.
Frescobaldi Tenuta di Castiglioni 2013, Italy
SCORE: 89 PRICE: $21.95
Medium-bodied and smooth for a Tuscan red. Smartly tuned with cherry-plum fruit, background savouriness suggesting leather and wood and a lively, salty lift; $24.99 in British Columbia, various prices in Alberta, $21.95 in Manitoba.
Santa Alicia Gran Reserva de Los Andes Carmenère 2012, Chile
SCORE: 89 PRICE: $17.95
Succulent and ripe, this red shows racy carménère's friendlier side. Full-bodied and plummy, it delivers a smoked-herb, woodsy quality along with a hint of green bell pepper. Available in Ontario.
Peninsula Ridge Barrel Aged Chardonnay 2014, Ontario
SCORE: 89 PRICE: $15.95
A lighter-style of barrel-aged chardonnay, from Niagara, with crisp, bright-apple fruit joined by toffee and a nutty overtone, finishing with herbal-lemony zing. Impressive complexity for the money. Available in Ontario.