Which wine should you drink with a salad of tomatoes and mozzarella ?

During the summer period, when the days are longer and hot, I dream night after night of lighter food. My mother would be proud to know how many vegetables I can voluntarily gobble up when temperatures rise. Tomato and mozzarella salad is one of them… with a good glass of wine !

If there is a starter that you would like to enjoy during the summer season, it's tomato and mozzarella salad for sure. It's hard to imagine a more refreshing starter than this one before eating a barbecue. Did you know that tomato and mozzarella salad, or should I say caprese salad, was born only in 1952 ?

Caprese salad : above all a beautiful story !

Off the coast of Amalfi, near Naples, the island of Capri attracts many holidaymakers. But it's not just the beautiful white houses by the sea that attract them, there's also local gastronomy. The famous caprese salad was born in these places : tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. A simple recipe, but symbolizing the place.

King Farouk's appetite.

It is all these reasons that have led to Capri the man to whom we owe this salad. In 1952, King Farouk of Egypt in exile makes a stopover on the island and orders the first caprese salad in history. The scene takes place at the White Cat, a luxury hotel of the time, after the morning swim of the sovereign. The grandson of the manager remembers "He asked for something fresh, so we invented this salad, which reminded us of the colours of the Italian flag.".

How to make a nice caprese salad ?

The recipe for caprese salad, or tomatoes-mozzarella, is disconcertingly simple. The real difference will depend on the right choice of ingredients.

Tomatoes should be ripe and tasty so as not to be too acidic and should be tasty. : prefer "beef heart" or "Crimea black" tomatoes to put all the odds on your side. Choose a mozzarella di buffala rather than the plastic pieces at 10 pennies found at the supermarket !

Preparation : 10 minutes

• For 4 persons :
• Tomatoes - 4 very ripe
• Buffalo mozzarella - 4 of 250 g each
• Extra virgin olive oil - 100 ml
• Basil
• Origan – 1 spoon
• Pepper and salt

Pour the olive oil into a bowl and mix with the salt and oregano and leave it out. Cut the tomatoes and the mozzarella into slices.

On each plate, arrange the slices of tomatoes and mozzarella in turn ; between each slice, pour a little of your previous mixture and add fresh basil leaves. Use what you have left of basil leaves and preparation to decorate, season your plate with a thread of olive oil, pepper and voila !

You can adapt this recipe by adding a dash of balsamic vinegar or replacing basil with fresh mint.

Which wine to choose to pair your caprese salad ?

What made me want to write this article is the website of a restaurant offering "a fresh Chianti" to pair his salad of tomatoes and mozzarella. It's pure heresy, because caprese salad demands wines with the same character : freshness ! It is therefore better to choose a white or a rosé.

The bad idea of ​​red wine

As for white wines

With your tomato salad and mozzarella, I advise you to head towards a rather lively light dry white wine. We therefore avoid woody or fatty white wines.

We can play on the "almost" local with wines from the Mediterranean rim. Which white wine to choose to accompany your tomato and mozarella salad ?

The white Côtes du Rhône are very aromatic wines dominated by beautiful notes of white flowers.

A white Cassis will also be a very nice possibility. This vineyard overlooking the Mediterranean is dominated by notes of white flowers and citrus fruits. This wine has the particularity of being endowed with fine iodine notes.

Mostly composed of Marsanne and Clairette, the Cassis Blanc is a very good possibility. The Marsanne, from the Rhone Valley, has adapted perfectly to the region. It brings fine aromas dominated by notes of white flowers as well as a beautiful length in the mouth. The Clairette contributes in the freshness of the whites from Cassis. It offers them aniseed scents, of scrubland, of acacia honey and white-fleshed fruits. It confers, besides, roundness and fat.

My perfect match : the pairing that I appreciate above all with the caprese salad is a whitewine from the Alpilles. Mas de Gourgonnier is a wine made from organically grown grapes. This wine is a blend of Sauvignon, of Rolle and Grenache blanc. The nose is thin, subtle, and announces a nice freshness in the mouth. It feels like a bouquet of white flowers. In the mouth, we find the same aromas with, as an accompaniment, beautiful tangy citrus notes. This wine is pure freshness, vibrant and invigorating.

As for rosé wines

The caprese salad is a good example of balance : there is acidity thanks to the tomato, opposed to the fat of mozzarella, and all raised by the aromatic intensity of basil. Mozarrella tomato salad goes perfectly with a fresh and fruity rosé.

You can easily associate your dish with a rosé Côtes de Provence and its flavors of white flowers, citrus and exotic fruits. This particularly light wine will be the ideal companion of the mozzarella tomato salad. It will highlight the aromas by discreetly associating with the flavors of the dish.

You can also opt for a wine from the Rhone Valley : a Côtes du Rhône or a Lirac are very good choices for this food and wine pairing. Without forgetting the wines of Languedoc, like a Corbières rosé.

My favorite deal : Connoisseurs call it the best rosé in France. I speak of course of Tavel. It is distinguished by a beautiful aromatic expressiveness for a rosé. We find deep aromas of red fruits. Nine grape varieties of character can be associated ; who each by their character, bring a particular material and light to the Tavel. It is a perfectly balanced rosé wine, just like our caprese salad !

On the side of red wines

Even if there are diehards wanting to put red wine in all sauces, I advise you not to pair your caprese salad with a red wine. Tannins, even light, will take over the light aromas of this dish.