So I find I’m having so much fun with this pairing thing, I’m just going to keep it up!  We started with a bit of bubbly, now we will actually move into food pairings.  Here we will use a couple of popular salads. By the end of this, think of a tasting menu with several courses!

For salad, I wanted to go with what is commonly referred to as “the wedge.”  This is a ¼ wedge of some sort of head of lettuce, bacon, diced tomato, red onion, crumbled bleu cheese, and bleu cheese dressing.  For this salad, you could pair a couple of wines, either red or white. I would suggest a red just because of the potency of bleu cheese.  Go Pinot Noir, light enough for the salad but heavy enough for the cheese.  I would even suggest Rene Lequin Colin Pinot Noir, the French pairing would be a happy match. And I should know; this is making me hungry for what I may have for dinner tonight.  If you are thinking of going white with this, keep with the French theme and keep in Burgundy.  Maybe move up a notch and play with Maison Cabotte Montagny 1er Cru (Chardonnay). This will give you a completely different experience, but that acidity on the finish will pair with bleu cheese.

Second salad, we will play with a nice little spinach salad.  Spinach at the base, cucumber, diced tomato, and let’s add a few walnut pieces, and then finish it off with feta cheese.  Hmmm…what dressing to use? Got it! Creamy balsamic vinaigrette.  Maybe we stay in France for this whole course!  We have had Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, let’s try a Sauvignon Blanc with this salad, Gitton Sancerre
Montachins! If you read my blogs you will know about my love for Sauvignon Blanc and Sancerre is a highlight to my life.  The wine is aged in old neutral barrels and stainless steel to let the minerality of Sancerre show. The wine shows white flowers, lime and grapefruit notes; a steely middle and firm acidity. As there is always more than one way to go with a pairing, I will also give you a nice, crisp rose to play with… Château Coudray Montpensier. This rose is 100% Cabernet Franc and a nice flourish to the flavor profile of the salad.

As with all my pairings, wine is subjective, and these are all suggestions, try mine or try your favorite!  Tell me all about them and go ask your wine consultant for their favorite.

Bon apetite!

Kathleen Anderson, North/West Wine Supervisor. Follow Kathleen on Twitter: @ABCwinekat