Ah, the age-old question again: what wine to pair with salad?

The responses always come quick and furious: thereis no wine to pair with salad! Or, use a high-acid wine! Or sherry! Or a wine so esoteric that you'll never find it (though I've had it many times, and quite successfully with salad!). Or change the dressing to match the wine--just add beef chunks and go with a big red, or throw in some macerated salmon flesh and crack a nice Chardonay, or substitute ground pork loin marinated in ginger for the olive oil and...

Well, you get the picture. There really never seems to be a perfect solution.

Last night, I had close to one: San Pellegrino (sparkling water).

It was served in Champagne flutes. And damned if the glasses didn't make the water taste better. And double-dog damned with fizz on top if it wasn't a near-perfect accompaniment to a nice salad (mesclun greens with Camemebert, roasted pear, and walnuts, in a fine Anjou pear vinaigrette). I'm sure any other favored bottled water would work just as well, but this achieved nearly wine-like status once it was poured into the glasses. Who woulda thunk it?

Don't ever tell me that wine glasses don't matter!

Great idea!

Seaquam, good idea. San Pellegrino is one of the few bottled water products that I enjoy. It actually has a slate component not unlike a good Mosel. Unless the vinegar is too strong, I've enjoyed rieslings with salad.

gatc,

with all the reislings you have, you'd better enjoy them with damn near everything & especially on their own.