Food and Wine Pairing Ideas for Spring

Spring brings fresh greens, tart salads, and crunchy vegetables. But how do you go about pairing spring foods and wine? 

Traditionally, greens have been considered the enemy of wine. The bitterness flavor of artichoke and asparagus are frequently regarded as the polar opposite of a ‘wine food.’ Not to worry, Metro Wines has a few great tips to help you make the most of the spring harvest. 

Wine Pairing Tips for Fresh Spring Food

1. Wines with Green Food 

When it comes to wine pairing, salads can be a challenge, especially a salad that’s dressed with something tart that can offset the flavor of the wine you’re trying to enjoy. Here are a few things to consider when pairing a wine with a salad: 

Acidity: Most salads contain acidic ingredients like citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, and vinaigrette salad dressing. When pairing a nice bottle of wine with a salad, the wine should have more acidity than the salad. Low-acid white like a Chardonnay with a vinaigrette can be tasteless. 

Pour a tart, zingy white like a Sauvignon Blanc, and the vinegar in the dressing will bring out the fruitiness of the wine. Higher acid red wines with floral notes like Pinot Noir pairs well with a balsamic vinaigrette, while a Chardonnay is a perfect choice for a creamy, tangy ranch dressing. 

Bitterness: Bitter greens are particular types of leafy greens with a distinctly bitter, astringent flavor. In particular, Arugula is a bold addition to salad greens, but with a little goat cheese in a salad of mixed greens and some arugula, you can pair it up with Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc’s bright acidity, herbal aromas, and grassy flavor make for the best choice to pair with difficult veggies. 

2. Wines with Fresh Fruit

Pairing wine with summer fruits and vegetables isn’t intuitive. For fresh fruit that is sweet, choose wine like a Gewürztraminer, Riesling, or Moscato that is sweeter. This will ensure that the taste of the wine doesn’t get lost in the sweetness of the fruit. 

Floral: Sweet tasting wines with floral aromatics pair well with fresh fruit such as strawberries, pears, pineapple, and blueberries. When you pair a wine with a dessert dish that contains fruit, the floral aromas will become more prominent. Champagne, Cabernet, or Chardonnay are the best choices when deciding to pair a floral wine with fresh fruit. 

Acidity: When pairing a bottle of wine with an acidic fruit, the wine matches the fruit’s inherent acidity. Fruits high in acidity will reduce the perceived sourness in wine and make the wine taste richer and rounder. Fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and mandarins can be paired with white wines.

Spring Food and Wine Pairing at Metro Wines

Pairing a wine with a dish can be more difficult than it’s made out to be. The good news, Metro Wines can help you find the perfect balance between each particular wine and the sweetness and acidity of each food. 

We offer a wide selection of wines and always have a sommelier on duty to help you answer your questions, offer suggestions, and work with your caterer or event planner. Visit our shop on 169 Charlotte Street in Asheville, or browse our wine catalog online.