The best red wine to serve with lamb!

Lamb, a type of red meat that is eaten all around the world but served best in regions around the Mediterranean! For centuries, lamb and sheep have been kept for their wool, dairy and their meat. There is a big difference in flavour between the tender lamb meat and much more savoury, specific taste and smell of the sheep’s meat. In order to fully classify this, the lamb must not be older than one year so it can keep its tender structure.

Thinking of serving red with lamb, there are always two grape varieties that immediately spring to mind and that is the Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The acidity and red capsicum aromas of the Cabernet will blend beautifully with the riper meat of the lamb, especially when it has been grilled. The Cabernet doesn’t only have to come from Bordeaux, there are excellent examples coming from Margeret River in Western Australia, Valle Central in Chile or Hawke’s Bay in New-Zealand. In terms of the Tempranillo, even though you can find good examples coming from Australia or Argentina, for me nothing beats the ones from Rioja and Ribera del Duero in Spain. These two Spanish regions do bring a different style to the mix. The riper notes coming from Rioja wines will blend very well with grilled lamb, while the more delicate and elegant Ribera does its magic with lamb legs or even the shoulder, especially when it was stewed or slow cooked. Actually, in the region of Ribera the local dish is a whole lamb that has been slowly cooked in a brick oven and it does wonders with a bottle of local Tempranillo.

Looking past these two classic examples, lamb is perfectly matched with Greek varieties as well. Think of Agiorgitko coming from Attica or the Peloponnesos. The herbaceous notes of the Xinomavro from the northern region of Macedonia will do the trick too. The same thing goes for southern Italian grapes like Aglianico or Nero d’Avola.
When serving lamb rack or chops, especially when cooked with herbs like rosemary or dill, you can look for a crisp Cabernet Franc from the Loire or even Carmènere from Chile.
When you want a change from Tempranillo with your cooked lamb leg, you can go to the Languedoc and look for wines coming from Corbières or Saint-Chinian, where you will find a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and other mediterranean varieties.

When you are not a big fan of red, you can always look towards a strong rosé as an option, thinking again of rosado made of Tempranillo grapes or firm rosés coming from Tavel in the Rhône valley, where it is made of Grenache grapes.
You can look towards a bolder white, like a Bordeaux that had aged on oak, but for the best food-wine experience I would stay with red.