Pairing wine with salad can be tricky, but if you’re looking for a wine to pair with your greens, follow these 5 simple guidelines for a light and bright dinner! I’ve even included a few of my favorite salad recipes with a wine pairing below if you’re needing some ideas!

PICKING A WINE FOR YOUR SALAD

Pick a wine that complements the flavors of your salad without overpowering it. The flavors of a light salad can easily be overpowered by an intense wine. Typically, white wines or lighter-bodied reds match up nicely with the light, bright flavors of a salad.

Match the body of the wine to the body of the dressing. If you have a creamier dressing like ranch, pair your salad with a heavier-bodied wine, like Chardonnay.

Acidity + acidity will act as a palate cleanser. Rather than making your mouth REALLY pucker with all the tart-ness going on, pairing an acidic wine with a salad that has an acidic dressing or acidic fruit will actually tone down the tart flavors. For this reason, Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent pairing to any salads with a lot of citrus flavors.

Got some heat on that salad (jalapeños, chipotle dressing)? Look for a wine with a hint of sweetness! The sweet will help tone down the heat and the spice will actually make the wine taste fruitier and less sweet. Look for an off-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer.

Do you have a lot of fruit in your salad? Complement those fruit flavors with your wine selection! Strawberries? Reach for a glass of Rosé!

SALAD + WINE PAIRING IDEAS

THE DEFINED DISH ULTIMATE TACO SALAD + PINE RIDGE CHENIN BLANC – VIOGNIER

There’s a whole lot of flavor going on in this salad from Defined Dish, so you need a wine that also brings a ton of flavor to the table! This Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier has amazing flavor with notes of peach, honey, pear and lemon. The citrus notes are the perfect match for the lime and pico de gallo and the honey and peach flavors are delicious with the watermelon. This medium-bodied wine pairs nicely with the creamy ranch dressing and its slight sweetness complements the heat from the chipotle chili in this salad.

COOKING CLASSY STRAWBERRY SALAD + ANGELS AND COWBOYS ROSÉ

This delicious salad recipe from Cooking Classy is a Summer staple around here. This is such an easy salad to make and I love how fresh, bright and interesting the flavor combination is. I also love wines that are easy-drinking, fresh, bright and interesting – so cue Angels & Cowboys Rosé! With it’s fresh red fruit flavors and zesty acidity, it’s the perfect match to the strawberries and balsamic vinegar, making the perfect pair for any hot Summer day!

DAMN DELICIOUS ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD + KREMSER SANDGRUBE GRÜNER VELTLINER

Confession: I order Pad Thai about once a week. When I need to satisfy my weekly craving but want to opt for something a bit healthier, this amazing salad from Damn Delicious does the trick! I can think of no better pairing for this salad than a Grüner Veltliner. This dry, crisp white wine serves as the perfect palate cleanser for this flavorful salad. The bright citrus flavors are delicious next to the mandarin orange and I love the slight honey notes with the teriyaki flavor of the chicken.