Salad is commonly considered being difficult with wine. And sure, it’s true that including a big, pungent serving to of inexperienced salad with a vinegary dressing to your plate may disrupt (and even kill) a fragile, previous Pomerol or a velvety Priorat. Vinegary dressings want to spar with younger wines which have extra tannic or acidic struggle. So a greater decide – in order for you a pink in your glass since you’re consuming a well-dressed inexperienced salad with, say, rib of beef or roast duck – is likely to be an edgy Chianti Classico, northern Rhône Syrah or youngish Médoc from a classical classic.
However the actual subject relating to any dialogue of pairing wine with salad is the vary and breadth of what’s coated by the phrase ‘salad’, by no means thoughts what else is likely to be with it on the plate. The place do you begin? The place do you cease? I’ll start with a basic that’s usually eaten as a meal in itself, particularly in summer season: salade niçoise. A basic pairing is rosé from Provence, which is partly a temper match: the 2 are so usually eaten and drunk collectively on vacation within the south of France, with the smells of the maquis scrubland tickling your nostrils. Clément Cousin has a special concept. Cousin was a sommelier at Claridge’s Fera in its Simon Rogan days, and is now co-owner of Bavette, a neighbourhood bistro in Horsforth in Yorkshire, however he’s initially from the Loire and recommends making an attempt Chenin Blanc from Anjou with a niçoise salad. ‘The acidity of the Chenin cuts by the richness of the tuna and eggs, and the minerality enhances the briny flavours of the olives and anchovies.’
Salade niçoise. Credit score: Tatjana Baibakova / Shutterstock
Dominant flavours
Generally, it pays to establish the important thing ingredient in your plate. Serving a giant tomato salad alongside a bowl of spaghetti merely dressed with olive oil and contemporary herbs or a roast rooster? Or maybe a chopped Greek salad? Then you’ll be able to take your cue from the tomatoes. Assyrtiko has a citrussy vigour that works properly. So, too, does Sauvignon Blanc, which regularly has pyrazine notes that scent of grass, bell peppers and tomato leaves – this model will harmonise fantastically with the tomatoes on the plate.
Some meals have a behavior of taking up a dish. Goat’s cheese (or curds) is one in all these. As an example, a salad of bresaola and peppery darkish leaves is excellent with a perky Dolcetto pink. Had been you so as to add goat’s cheese to the plate, you’d be higher with Sauvignon Blanc, ideally one thing lean and dry from the Loire or Bordeaux.
Candy-bitter-fruit-herb
The sweet-sour-spice notes in Asian-style salads are good with fragrant wines which have fruitiness and purity. Suppose Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc (once more), Riesling or Pinot Gris. With Vietnamese inexperienced papaya salad, my selection is all the time Riesling; founding father of The Vietnamese Kitchen in London, Hieu Bui, suggests a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc as ‘its zesty citrus and herbaceous notes mirror the freshness of the inexperienced papaya’. In case you are spice-sensitive, select a wine with some residual sugar to calm the sting of the capsaicin within the chilli.
Vietnamese inexperienced papaya salad
Wines with a tinge of sweetness are additionally properly matched to salads wherein fruit, or a candy dressing, performs a giant half: think about the luscious mixture of a Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo rosé with the sweetness of watermelon and silky creaminess of burrata; or a German kabinett Riesling with peaches, lime and rocket. In fact, you might need many salads on the plate without delay, and a kaleidoscope of notes of candy and bitter and fruity and herbaceous, wherein case, take a leaf out of the Ottolenghi restaurant guide: its home white is an apricot-hued, skin-contact wine that rubs together with just about something.
Star pairings for salads
Thai-style salad with off-dry Riesling
Iris Ellmann of German specialist importer The WineBarn likes to make a salad of rooster, mango, noodles, lime, fish sauce, peanuts and chilli. ‘It’s difficult to stability the saltiness and sweetness of the components with the wine. So, I usually select a wine that provides each; my go-to is Göttelmann’s off-dry Nahe Riesling (2022 Vom Schiefer Feinherb, £16.10).’
Caesar salad with Arneis
The herbaceous notes of the Arneis selection are foil for the salty Parmesan and anchovies within the dressing. Attempt Giacomo Fenocchio, Roero Arneis 2023 (£24.50-£25 Armit, Hedonism, The Good Wine Store) from Piedmont, northwest Italy.
Fennel, orange & radish salad with Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner has a peppery chew that sits very properly with fennel and radishes. Add steamed or barbecued fish and you’ve got the proper dinner.
