The best red wines under £30 to drink with Easter lunch this bank holiday weekend Wine News

Like many of us, I spend time with my family over Easter and my approach to wine buying is to treat it like a mini Christmas. I order wine by the case (mixed), aiming for a treat bottle or two to open with the Easter Sunday leg of lamb, plus a mix of easygoing reds for the days around it.

We had an Easter in 2021, so the Fuligni Rosso di Montalcino we had planned to drink is still waiting on the rack. Tuscan reds are great with lamb, especially if the lamb is cooked with lots of rosemary and garlic and you’re serving Italian sides such as cannellini beans with a garlic and crème fraîche sauce. , a borlotti bean stew, cavolo nero or a shaved fennel salad. Lea & Sandeman has the Fuligni Rosso di Montalcino 2019 – a good vintage – for £30.50.

Left Bank Bordeaux – or any other Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend – is another lamb classic. If you’re not the kind of Bordeaux drinker who buys en primeur and has a cellar to raid, then Aldi has a really good one: Château d’Arsac Margaux 2016 (online only, £19.99) is £72 % Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest of the Merlot, and combines the flesh and concentration of the brilliant 2016 vintage with a little Margaux perfume.

I also recommend Bordeaux drinkers to take a look at De Martino’s red wines in Chile, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere. These are made in such an understated style that I don’t think anyone tasting them blind would immediately place them in chile. They are excellent value for money, with a fine fragrance and good fruit intensity. Waitrose has a few in its online wine cellar and they are stocked by Great Wine, who also have a shop in Bath. De Martino Legado Carménère is a particular favorite (Waitrose Cellar online, £11.99).

It might be a little early in the year to embrace the Mediterranean style, but if you’re tempted to take the route of butterfly leg of lamb and ratatouille, the Mourvèdre-based reds from Bandol in Provence are a match. gorgeous. The 2018 Bastide Blanche Bandol (Waitrose, £14.79) is slightly wild, with a flavor of dried herbs, savory tannins and the warmth of grapes that have soaked up plenty of southern French sunshine. A joy.

Then there is the Syrah. If you like this grape in a fuller, lusher style, try Penfolds Max’s Shiraz 2019, South Australia (Waitrose, £15.99). This rich red reminds me of a tree laden with ripe blackberries all ready to splash and squidger. There is also a warm touch of vanilla with spices and a sprinkle of drinking chocolate powder. Or you can head to the Rhone and find it in pure form or in the southern blends of that region.

Red Rhône blends are also I think a good option for cheaper bottles, to serve to anyone. I mentioned Domaine Roche Côtes-du-Rhône 2020 (The Wine Society, £9.75) a few weeks ago. Do not forget it. It’s perfect here. Domaine la Montagnette Signargues Côtes du Rhône Villages 2020 (The Wine Society, £9.25) is also very good; round and soft. Signargues is at the extreme south of the Rhone, west of the river, just south of Lirac and Tavel. There are three other French reds containing Syrah in my wines of the week.

Wines to accompany your Easter weekend meals