No summer table is complete without some sort of salad. Usually this is a tricky pairing for wine lovers, as lively dressings made with vinegar and lemon juice can destroy a wine, making it feel flabby and taste bitter.
The golden rule is that those high in acidity are your friends here. For a simple green salad I’d steer you towards bottles with more savoury, vegetal, herbaceous flavours, such as grüner veltliner or soave, rather than those with an abundance of fruit such as pinot gris. Sauvignon blanc also works, but go for one from the Loire rather than a New Zealand fruit bomb.
• Read more: Six of the best viognier wines for summer
• Read more: Six lower-alcohol wines that pack a punch
More substantial salads can handle a wine with a heavier, smoother texture. Take my favourite, the cobb salad, which comes with bacon, chicken, hard-boiled eggs and roquefort cheese, or the caesar, with its shavings of parmesan on top: I’d serve something with a little more body and texture with these, such as a lightly oaked chardonnay like Tesco Finest’s 2022 Brooks Road Chardonnay from Margaret River in Australia (13 per cent, £15). Or try a light, fruity beaujolais or pinot noir.
If you’re going more Middle Eastern, adding a little harissa spice, or looking to Asia with a Thai green salad, for example, the high acidity, low alcohol and sweetness of an off-dry Mosel riesling work well.
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For a good catch-all option that goes with pretty much any salad, a dry, full-bodied rosé will have enough citrus to complement the lightness of the dish and plenty of vinous structure to handle any bold, garlicky flavours you throw at it.
2023 Unearthed Chiaretto di Bardolino
Italy (12%)
Aldi, £7.99
A dry rosé with bright, citrus notes and scintillating acidity. It would go well with any tomato-based salad.
2023 La Perrière Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
France (13%)
Waitrose, £9.99
This is very much in the classic, light style of Loire Valley sauvignon blanc. Try with chicken salad.
2023 Taste the Difference Cinsault
South Africa (12.5%)
Sainsbury’s, £8 (down from £10)
A light summer red with enough fruit to make it a counterintuitive pairing with heavy salads.
2023 Classics No 35 Beaujolais-Villages
France (13%)
M&S, £10
A fruit-filled red that’s ideal with cold meats and salad. Could be served slightly chilled.
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2022 Domaine Skouras Assyrtiko
Greece (13.5%)
Majestic, £15.99
This delicate white is packed with green apple and notes of citrus. A shoo-in with feta salads.
2023 Rosé Domaine Tempier Bandol
France (13.5%)
Lea & Sandeman, £35.95
From one of the top estates in Provence, this has a wonderful citrus and tangerine character.
Will’s pick from The Sunday Times Wine Club
2021 Von Reben Pinot Noir
Germany (12%)
The Sunday Times Wine Club, £13.99
German pinot noir is on a bit of a roll, and this silky example from the Pfalz appeals with its top notes of tart red fruit and spice.
