LCBO Food & Drink Early Summer 2019

If you’re serving CAESAR SALAD , pair lightly oaked Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, or dry rosé with anchovy- or bacon-heavy dressing.

WINE  SALAD DAYS

MILD GREENS If your base is leafy Boston, Little Gem, bibb or butter lettuce or a crunchy head of iceberg or romaine, unoaked Chardonnay or Austria’s signature grape, Grüner Velt- liner, are bright wine choices. SPICY GREENS Chicories, including radicchio, sing with the lovely sour- cherry note of a Valpolicella from Northern Italy. Chianti complements peppery arugula—especially when it’s topped with juicy steak and curls of Parmesan cheese. Spinach or other zesty greens are best when rounded out by a smooth white blend of a few types of grapes. BITTER GREENS Kale, chard and veggies like asparagus or artichokes can be a thorn in a sommelier’s side. Jordan Alessi smooths out their astringency with Chenin Blanc from France (such as Vouvray from the Loire Valley) or South Africa. “Some older-vines Chenin would be really cool to com- bat that bitterness. It’s one of those really diverse varietals.”

LEAFYGREENS DRESSING FOR SUCCESS Match tart wine with tart vinaigrette and fuller-bodied wines with creamy dressings. • Vinegar turns smooth whites flabby but

makes crisp whites taste fruitier. Make vinaigrettes wine-friendlier by using citrus or gentler wine, rice or cider vinegars instead; lengthen a 2 : 1 oil/acid ratio with a glug of fruit juice or stock; or choose a nut, seed or fruity olive oil. • Creamy dressings crave rounder (Pinot Gris,Viognier) or softly oaked whites. • Flavourings matter: fresh herbs pair with grassy Sauvignon Blanc or herbaceous reds (Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, Merlot, Carménère, Pinotage); soy or Worcestershire create umami dressings, dreamy with Pinot Noir.

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CHATEAU DU CLERAY MUSCADET SÈVRE ET MAINE LCBO 323816, $14.95 Pale and bone dry, smelling of citrus Bourgogne grapes taste fruitier with vinaigrette-dressed salad. and blossoms, crisp Melon de

CAVE SPRING PINOT GRIS VQA LCBO 522979, $16.95 This round, soft white has ex- otic melon and spice aromas and enough richness to pair with creamy dressings.

LaCHETEAU SAUVIGNON BLANC TOURAINE LCBO 449777, $14.95 The signature cut-grass and gooseberry aro- mas of Sauvignon Blanc comple- ment salads tossed or dressed with fresh herbs.

92  FOOD & DRI NK EARLY SUMMER 2019