Oregon Wine and Food Pairing
American, Canadian foods
"Dog Days of Summer" Salad

"Dog Days of Summer" Salad

Parties, picnics, celebrations, every kid and adult sport you can imagine, all fueled by every food and drink known to man, Memorial Day through the Fourth of July.

Had any rest lately? There might be a week or two available between now and Labor Day.

Time enough to pick out a warm evening, sit outside with a chilled bottle of Oregon Chardonnay, and talk, look at lawns and trees (which you’ve spent so much time and money on to look great). Lift your glass, sunlight streaming through the gold liquid texture, and smile.

Recipe

Ingredients

* Romaine and butter lettuce, hand-torn in a large bowl.

* Sliced ripe tomatoes and sweet Vidalia onions

* Celery and chopped raw eggplant

* Chopped yellow bell pepper

* Al dente chilled thin pasta

* Loaf of Italian or French Rosemary bread

Directions
1. Swirl 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup white vinegar, and 1/3 cup Oregon dry chardonnay in a large measuring cup. With your fingers, drop a pinch of ground black pepper, then a pinch of ground sea salt into the mix and watch what happens.

2. Sprinkle one half of what you would usually dress a salad with and fluff the mixture.

3. Take the pasta in the colander, sprinkle with oil and toss. Put the salad and pasta separately in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Remove the salad bowl from the fridge and place the pasta on top of the lettuce mixture. Sprinkle again with the salad dressing and serve.

5. The remarkable thing about this recipe is that the salad is light and chilled, the pasta is smooth, clear, almost sparkling in its clarity, and combined with a chilled Oregon Chardonnay accompanied with sparkling water and a twist of lemon, it can’t get much better than that.

Enjoy the dog days and relax. Even Spot and Mr. Meow won’t be begging, because there’s nothing to beg for. They’ll be fast asleep, noses buried in the grass.

Wine Pairings

OregonWines.com suggests serving the following types of wine while enjoying "Dog Days of Summer" Salad. Click on a wine type to search our database for matching wines.

Chardonnay	Typically aged in oak, it is dry in flavor, with strong aromas, and has a golden hue. It is also used to produce Champagne and méthode Champenoise wines.
Chardonnay	Typically aged in oak, it is dry in flavor, with strong aromas, and has a golden hue. It is also used to produce Champagne and méthode Champenoise wines.
Pinot Blanc	A crisp wine with aromas of fresh pear and orange blossom, and with pale straw hues.
Pinot Blanc	A crisp wine with aromas of fresh pear and orange blossom, and with pale straw hues.
Pinot Gris	A light, aromatic, wine with flavors of apple, pear, apricot, and other fruits, and with yellow to pale straw hues.
Pinot Gris	A light, aromatic, wine with flavors of apple, pear, apricot, and other fruits, and with yellow to pale straw hues.
Sauvignon Blanc	A light, dry wine with fruity, grassy flavors, and light yellow hues.
Sauvignon Blanc	A light, dry wine with fruity, grassy flavors, and light yellow hues.