Why not pair wine and salad ?

What wine to drink to accompany your green salad ? Thanks to Beaux-Vins, discover how to match this dish to a wine without missing a beat…

I have often said to those around me "uncork your bottle of wine before serving the green salad and go out there for the main course". But today, I will admit to having been extremely reductive in repeating this sentence over and over again - at least, it was effective —.

Why shouldn't I drink wine with my salad ?

In fact, the salad is no problem and can be easily paired with wine, but you have to be careful. There is a list - that I would not fail to address - food resistant to wine. In the middle of these few dishes to know by heart appears "everything that contains vinegar, vinaigrette or mustard ".

Once again, this list is not to be taken literally. Chicken or rabbit with mustard goes very well with wine.

The problem of dressing with wine

Dressing and wine don't mix. The white or red wine vinegar used to make the sauce has a powerful acidity that will unbalance the wine, making it completely neutral. The cause of this disagreement is the acetic acid present in the vinegar.

Acetic acid is an enemy of wine. The presence of oxygen in contact with the wine turns the alcohol into acetic acid and will eventually turn your wine into vinegar. We then speak of oxidized wine. A wine with this defect will have a tiled color and aromas of chard apple., cider or nuts. Note, however, that oxidation can be a quality and is deliberately sought after for yellow wines, the Jerez, Banyuls and other Rivesaltes.

What to do to serve wine with my green salad ?

The solution is quite simple : since our enemy is vinaigrette - acetic acid —, we have to replace it with another acid. Citric acid in citrus fruits is a good way - more particularly, that of pink grapefruit and pomelo —.

Simply mix freshly squeezed grapefruit juice with olive oil.

Grapefruit has a terpene character - I like to use complicated words —. Most of the aromas and smells that we associate with plants are the result of terpenes, a class of hydrocarbon produced in particular by conifers - the terpene is a major component of the resin —. In wine, a predominance of terpene will give aromas of ripe fruit : blackcurrant jam, spice, fleur — purple and pink —.

Which wine to choose to accompany the grapefruit sauce ?

A salad with grapefruit sauce will go wonderfully with a wine or a beer with the same aromatic characteristics : zesty aromas both floral and fruity as well as hydrocarbon or pine types. A wine aged in oak barrels is also perfect to accompany this kind of sauce..

The grape varieties with the highest concentration of terpenes are :

Albariño : a white grape from Portugal and north-west Spain
Muscat
Riesling
Gewurztraminer

You can also opt for grapefruit aromas of pink grapefruit : Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc. For beers, prefer India Pale Ale recommended by François Chartier, author of Taste buds and molecules.

You get the point, to accompany your salad, avoid vinegar and prefer a white wine from Alsace, from Portugal or with grapefruit aromas.

Jean-Nicolas Mouretin