Wine Pairings - Salads

With Kathleen Powers Erickson

Kathleen Powers Erickson of Savour Wine and Cheese knows that while you might think that pairing a salad with wines is pretty easy, it is actually complicated because  many salad dressings use vinegar. Vinegar is  wine that was never allowed to reach its full potential, or wine that has already seen its better days. Whether wine in a glass or in a dressing, it is still wine. The result is that you are often trying to pair a good, drinkable wine with one that has gone bad, even though it was deliberately done to flavor the salad.

So what do you do? One solution is to use a dressing that has a soft vinegar taste such as a Balsamic, another is to avoid using vinegar at all and serve a salad with a buttermilk or ranch dressing.

The salad we are pairing with wine here is an arugula tossed with Balsamic and a fine olive oil, red onions that have been marinated overnight with some vinegar and sugar to soften the bite, some soft summer pears, pecans that have been roasted with some brown sugar, and shavings of Italian Piave cheese.

Wine Choices:

 A wine known for its herbaceous notes of bell pepper and chives, built on a solid acid structure, Cabernet Franc, gives depth to the herbal notes of arugula and onion, while contrasting beautifully with the Piave cheese.  I suggest the Chateau Soucherie Anjou Rouge.  ($18.99).

If you like a dry white wine, with bracing acidity and intense minerality, I like the top Baumard Savinnères Cru, Clos du Papillion.  100% Chenin Blanc, which is one of the great food wines of the world, it pairs perfectly with the herbal flavors of arugula, the earthiness of the cheese, and the juicy fruit of the ripe pear. ($31.99).

A wonderful wine for salads, Gransbazán, is a classic Albarino from Spain.  Jazzy, bright, and full of Asian pear and green apple, it livens up any salad, especially this one with fruit and nuts. ($19.99)

The National white wine from Austria, Gruner Veltliner, is a classic pairing for many vegetable dishes, especially those with artichokes or asparagus.  Its spicy undertones of pepper and ginger work wonders with the pickled onion and the tangy cheese. ($25.99)

Ingredients

Pear and Arugula Salad
7 ounce package baby arugula (preferably organic)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
2 Bosc Pears (ripe, but still firm), cored and sliced thin
1 small red onion, marinated (To marinate: slice onion very thin, place in glass bowl, cover with cold water, add ¼ cup white vinegar and ½ teaspoon sugar, stir.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 5 – 24 hours).
2 ounces Italian Piave cheese, shaved (May substitute crumbled goat cheese, feta cheese, blue cheese)
1/3 cup roasted pecans (To roast pecans; pour ½ cup water and ½ cup brown sugar into large frying pan, stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Add 1 pound pecan halves.  Keep stirring, as liquid thickens and coats pecans, until all the liquid is absorbed.  Spread pecans on cooking sheet, sprayed with cooking oil.  Place in pre-heated 250 degree F. oven.  Roast for 45 to 60 minutes).

Instructions

1. Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 
2. Toss arugula with olive oil dressing. 
3. Spread on platter and sprinkle generously with fresh ground pepper. 
4. Remove onions from marinade, pat dry, and scatter over arugula. 
5. Spread pear slices over top, then layer with goat cheese shavings. 
6. Finish with roasted pecans.

Recipe courtesy of Kathleen Erickson, Savour Wine & Cheese Shop, 2011.

Kathleen came to her wine expertise serendipitously, while pursuing an academic career in the history of Christianity at the University of Chicago, beginning in 1978.  While writing her doctoral dissertation on Vincent van Gogh, she opened a catering business, called “Ambrosia” and taught cooking lessons to local students and faculty. After graduating with her PhD in 1992, she published her book, “At Eternity’s Gate: the Spiritual Vision of Vincent van Gogh” (1998). She then began research on another book, “Monks, Missionaries, Martyrs, and Wine,” detailing the relationship between the spread of Christianity around the world and the growth of the wine industry.  Her interest in the history and culture of wine sparked a curiosity about wine and food pairing in its cultural context.In 2002, she began working for the celebrity chef, Rick Bayless, at the 4-star restaurant, Topolobampo.  Here she gained expertise, not only in the wide variety of Mexican cuisines, but also in tequila and wine.  In 2005, she obtained her certification from the London Court of Master Sommeliers for wine knowledge and service.  She began her career as a wine specialist while working as a consultant and representative of the boutique-style Chicago distribution house, Maverick wines.  After leaving Maverick, she began working as a retail wine manager just outside Chicago, and then, most recently, as the Wine Manager at Seabreeze Liquors in Gloucester. 

She just became the co-owner of Savour Wine and Cheese at 24 Washington St. in Gloucester, Mass, along with her partner, Rockport native and attorney, Robert A. Morgan.  At Savour, Kathleen continues her passion for food, wine and education, by teaching wine classes and seminars, making the wine-buying decisions, and working with her cheese buyer, Krista Julian, to obtain unique and interesting cheeses to pair with the wines.  She will continue to develop her educational programs, to seek out artisanal, small-production wines, and to work on food and wine pairing (with the intent of offering chef tasting dinners) with Chef Matt Beach, who operates his catering service out of Savour’s kitchen.

The Wine PhD,  which is her website - www.thewinephd.com.  (There are also links to it on her Savour website www.savourwineandcheese.com).
 
"Remember - the Wine PhD says - No tannin with spice!"