Celebrating Easter and the arrival of spring gives wine lovers the perfect opportunity to hunt down something special, or crack open some classics to complement the superb food on offer.

Whether it's Good Friday fish, Easter lamb or roast beef, these fresh whites and powerful reds will not only delight family and friends, but add another dimension to your well-earned feast...

FRIDAY FISH

:: Finest Picpoul de Pinet 2015, France (£6, Tesco)

Starting to appear more and more on fashionable wine lists, picpoul is a crisp, dry white from the South of France that works like a dream with shellfish and seafood starters. Fresh with balanced acidity, there's plenty of lemony citrus fruit at its core, a floral nose and a lovely flinty edge that keeps you reaching for this high-necked green bottle.

:: La Escondida Reserve Chardonnay 2014, Mendoza, Argentina (£10.99, www.laithwaites.co.uk)

This elegant chardonnay has a subtle oak influence and the crisp citrus and tropical fruit flavours flow through to the fresh, honeyed finish. Hide it from the Easter bunny (Escondida is Spanish for hidden) and serve with salmon fishcakes.

:: Land of Hope Reserve Chenin Blanc 2013, South Africa (£16, Marks & Spencer)

A truly exciting chenin blanc, this is a brilliant example of how South Africa's signature white grape can really deliver. Rich and complex, it's flowing with pear, apple and tropical fruit flavours, honeyed toasty notes, oak, spice and juicy acidity on the finish. Enjoy with a g ourmet fish pie or any seafood in a creamy white sauce.

SUNDAY ROASTS

:: Don Lotario Navarra Gran Reserva 2005, Spain (£8.99 from £11.99, from March 18 until mid April, www.virginwines.co.uk)

Spanish reds are a natural bedfellow with lamb and, with a decent amount of ageing, this definitely hits all the right notes. A blend of m erlot, graciano, tempranillo and garnacha, it's rich and velvety smooth with vivid forest fruit aromas leading to a symphony of soft blackberry fruits, spice, cedar, smoke, oak and a trace of herbs. Deliciously priced, decant an hour before serving.

:: Taste the Difference Cepa Alegro Rioja Reserva 2010, Spain (£10, Sainsbury's)

An excellent vintage for Rioja, the tempranillo is topped up with graciano for excellent depth of flavour and every sip suggests savoury undertones of vanilla oak. Packed with black cherry fruits supported by firm, ripe tannins with aromas of vanilla spice, it's a great choice with leg of lamb.

:: Waitrose Valpolicella Ripasso 2013, Italy (Currently £8.99 from £11.99, until April 12, Waitrose)

Pretty and powerful, this is a sumptuous red that's full of character and fruit forward, at 14.5% abv. The cherry-fruited bouquet follows through on the smooth palate with concentrated cherry, spiced plum, bitter chocolate and a lingering finish. A crowd pleaser with roast beef.

:: Chateau La Vielle Cure, Fronsac 2004, Bordeaux, France (£18.95, www.fromvineyardsdirect.com)

If you're planning to invest in a mixed case for the Easter holidays, this top-notch claret should be on your radar. Cited as a sleeper vintage, the merlot-dominated blend is drinking beautifully and deftly balances elegance with power. T he violet bouquet leads to jammy fruits entwined with cedar, cigar box, cassis, ripe tannins and a beautifully textured, savoury mouthfeel. Class in a glass.

:: BEST BUY

Dutch by design... To celebrate 325 years of distilling excellence, Ketel One Vodka have released a limited edition bottle dressed in copper matte plating to reflect the copper pot distillation process at the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Holland.

Ketel One 325th Anniversary Edition Vodka (£40, 100ml, www.harveynichols.com) honours 11 generations of family distilling and each final production of Ketel One Vodka is approved by a member of the Nolet family prior to bottling.

:: LIQUID NEWS

Ice, ice baby... Highland Park special releases are always highly sought after and their Ice Edition 17 Year Old (RRP £190, www.masterofmalt.com) will be followed by the Fire Edition in 2017.

"This 17-year-old single malt has a classic Highland Park flavour," says Jason R Craig, brand director, Highland Park. "The dynamic soft spicy notes complement and intertwine with creamy vanilla hues, providing a balanced, long finish - a truly harmonious whisky to savour."

Naturally vivid and radiant in colour with a 53.9% abv, this special edition has been aged predominantly in ex-bourbon casks and is limited globally to 30,000 bottles.

Encased in a stunning mountain-shaped wooden cradle with accompanying wooden stopper, the intricate circle design on the label represents the circle of life - the creation of the world, protected by a dragon, a mythical creature often central in classic Norse mythology.

For more info visit www.highlandpark.co.uk