Written by David Setley, April 10th, 2025

Passover and Easter are right around the corner, and many of us are making dinner plans. Unlike Thanksgiving, when turkey reigns supreme, there are a variety of options found on folks’ spring holiday menus. Let’s look at foods that have become Passover and Easter traditions alongside complementary wine recommendations.

Regardless of your menu, a welcome wine is always in good taste. A sparkling wine, such as a Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, or Moscato d’Asti, is the perfect way to greet your holiday dinner guests. Brilla Wine from Northern Italy has three wonderful sparkling wines that come in festive bottles to add pizzazz to your table. On the drier side, the Brilla Prosecco Brut and the Prosecco Rosé are both certified Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) wines from the Veneto wine region near Venice, Italy. If you prefer something slightly sweeter, try the Brilla Moscato from the Piedmont wine region. Any of these will delight your palate, while the bottles will delight your eyes. Another Moscato d’Asti that is also kosher is the Bartenura Moscato d’Asti. Bartenura also makes two more excellent kosher wines, the Bartenura Brachetto Sweet Red and the Bartenura Pinot Grigio, a dryer white wine.

According to the internet, ham is the most popular protein for Easter dinner in America. Some families roast their ham with brown sugar, some use pineapple, some use fruit jelly, and some use honey mustard. I even know people in Pennsylvania who use peanut butter to glaze their Easter ham – no kidding! No matter the preparation, ham is a sweet meat that is best paired with a dry wine. Consider a Sauvignon Blanc, such as the Jean-Paul Picard & Fils Sancerre from the Loire Valley, or a Pinot Gris, like the Montinore Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley, Oregon. A Riesling is also a great option. Try the Nik Weis St Urbans-Hof Dry Riesling from Mosel, Germany.

Lamb is also a popular choice for Easter celebrations. Lamb is often described as “gamey” and robust with grassy flavors. Côtes du Rhône wines from Southern France are natural pairings. These wines are often referred to as a GSM blend, meaning a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes. Syrah wines can be described as gamey, making it a perfect wine to pair with lamb meat. The Le Grand Valmal Generation or the Le Grand Valmal Vieilles Vignes from the Côtes du Rhône are excellent old-world choices. Or, if you prefer new-world, try the Truchard Syrah from Carneros, California, or the Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz from Australia.

Salmon is often selected for this springtime holiday feast, especially by pescatarians. Many consider white wine to be the natural pairing, though a red wine can work just as well. For baked salmon, I suggest a fuller-bodied white wine, such as the Novellum 100% Chardonnay from France or the Stags Leap Hands of Time Chardonnay from California. If you are grilling or pan-frying, consider the Borealis Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon or the Santa Maria La Palma Le Bombarde Cannonau from Sardinia, Italy. Cannonau is the most widely planted grape in Sardinia and is the varietal name that Sardinians use to refer to Grenache or Garnacha grapes. It is a great wine and, because it is relatively unknown, a great bargain.

Chabad.org discusses the Seder plate as the base of the Seder dinner on the first day of Passover. The Seder plate consists of three matzahs, bitter herbs, zeroa (a piece of roasted meat), beitzah (a hard-boiled egg), charoset (a fruity paste), and karpas (a vegetable, such as carrots or potatoes). The Seder plate may be accompanied by a traditional matzah ball soup, potato kugel, or braised or roasted brisket. According to Washingtonpost.com, each adult drinks from four cups of wine during the meal, a tradition I was quite intrigued to learn! Each cup represents stages in the Israelites’ redemption from the slavery of the Egyptians. A fifth cup is reserved for the hopeful return of the prophet Elijah.

I am often asked what makes a wine kosher. Kosherwine.com states that the entire process of winemaking – harvesting, crushing, fermentation, aging, and bottling – must be handled by a Sabbath-observant Jewish person for a wine to be certified kosher. Additionally, no non-kosher additives may be involved in the process. When looking at a label of kosher wine, you may also see the term “mevushal.” This term translates to “cooked,” indicating the wine was flash-pasteurized immediately after crushing. Multiple sources explain that this process allows for non-Sabbath-observant Jewish persons to be engaged in the wine production process. A non-mevushal wine may only be handled and poured by a Sabbath-observing Jewish person, whereas a mevushal wine may be handled by anyone.

Numerous kosher wine brands pair well with the Seder meal. One such brand, called Unorthodox, has wineries located in the Paarl wine region of South Africa. The Paarl region is known for excellent wines! Unorthodox produces three varietals: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend. The Unorthodox Sauvignon Blanc would pair quite well with vegetables or potatoes (karpas); the Chenin Blanc would go very well with the beitzah (hard-boiled egg), the zeroa (roasted meat), the matzah ball soup, or the potato kugel. I definitely recommend pairing the Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend with the brisket. All of these Unorthodox wines are also mevushal.

Another suggestion that is kosher, mevushal, and would be outstanding with brisket is Cantina Gabriele Sangiovese from Circeo in the Lazio region of Italy. It is a wonderful, medium-bodied, dry Italian red wine. Sangiovese is the grape most popular for the Chianti Classico wines of Tuscany. The Cantina Gabriele Sangiovese has the rich flavor and character you would expect from a great Italian wine.

I hope this article helps you select wines that will complement your holiday meal. As always, contact me at dsetley@passionvines.com or stop by the Somers Point store if you have questions or comments. Until next time, happy holidays and happy wining!

David Setley is enjoying his retirement from higher education as a wine educator and certified sommelier at Passion Vines in Somers Point, New Jersey.