Wine Pairings for Lamb

By Food & Wine
Updated January 17, 2017
A comprehensive guide to partnering Merlots (and more) with their respective lamb dishes.
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Lemon-and-Fennel-Roasted Lamb with Polenta

Credit: © Tina Rupp
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Marinated boneless leg of lamb is tender and incredibly delicious alongside creamy polenta with mascarpone.

Pairing: 2008 Cataldi Madonna Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

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Garlic-and-Herb-Crusted Leg of Lamb

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This leg of lamb is perfectly juicy in the center, with a fantastic crust. The recipe is so easy that it’s ideal for a dinner party, as well as for Easter.

Pairing: 2008 Cantina Santadi Grotta Rossa Carignano del Sulcis

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Salt-Baked Leg of Lamb with Olive Oil Potatoes

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For this dish, Corey Lee sources lamb from the Northern California coast that feed predominantly on salty grasses. He likes cooking the meat in a salt crust to echo its naturally briny edge, then garnishing the dish with succulents like sea grapes and sea beans. Baking any good-quality leg of lamb in an herby salt crust at home makes it deliciously tasty and tender, without the need for garnishes.

Pairing: 2007 Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Nero d’Avola

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Garlic-Crusted Roast Rack of Lamb

Credit: © Ingalls Photography
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Kenny Rochford's favorite way to prepare a rack of lamb is to simply rub it with plenty of garlic, rosemary, olive oil and salt before roasting.

Pairing: 2007 Falesco Montiano Lazio

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Rack of Lamb with Coconut-Mint Sauce and Glazed Peas

Credit: © Marcus Nilsson

The vibrant coconut milk-based sauce Jeff Smith serves with this simple roasted lamb is a great example of his homespun Mediterranean-Asian cuisine. Substituting brown sugar for white when glazing vegetables is a trick Smith discovered during a cooking experiment: "It adds a deeper kind of sweet note."

Pairing: 2009 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon

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Roast Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce

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Some of the most creative new wine lists are emphatically local. Broadway East in NYC champions New York state wines, while Terroir in Portland, Oregon, supports Pacific Northwest producers; chef Stu Stein serves this lamb with a Columbia Valley Syrah.

Pairing: 2008 Amavi Cellars Syrah

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Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks with Lemon, Dill and Feta

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The cooked lamb shanks can be refrigerated in their liquid for up to 2 days.

Pairing: 2010 Sigalas Assyrtiko

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Grilled Spiced Lamb Chops with Vegetable Ragout

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Jason Wilson often plunders the gardens of his mother-in-law or sous-chef to get vegetables for this lovely dish. He likes to use really good, locally raised lamb from Anderson Ranch in Brownsville, Oregon, but when he's in the mood for something lighter, he serves the ragout by itself, topped with shavings of Parmesan.

Pairing: 2008 Mastroberardino Aglianico

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Honey-Glazed Lamb with Herbes de Provence

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“On a recent trip to Southern France, I was taken with how the air smelled like herbes de Provence,” says F&W’s Marcia Kiesel. The herbs in the famous blend are delicious with lamb.

Pairing: 2008 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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10 of 10

Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Almond-Mint Pesto

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Gerard Craft recommends seasoning lamb with salt and pepper, covering it with plastic wrap and letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator; simpler than brining, this method helps keep the meat succulent.

Pairing: 2008 Mercer Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

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