This week’s summer salad with an Italian touch is quite drinkable, although both tomatoes and sardines can initially be slightly twisted ingredients.
I think both apple juice and apple cider can work well. The same goes for freshly bottled rosé wine. Rosé wines usually do not have that high acidity, and they are often round and fine, so they add more or less to most ingredients.
The element of croutons works well with wines with extensive sediment storage, and especially champagne can be a good match for this dish.
A whole lot of white wines are also right up there with the salad. The choice fell on a Sauvignon blanc from Napa Valley in California. The climate here is warm and favors the production of red grapes, but small amounts of white are also grown, including Sauvignon blanc.
Gamble Family Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (item no. 13947101, basic selection, NOK 273.30) is mainly fermented in oak barrels, which gives a slightly creamy texture and taste from the barrels. Especially for the croutons, this does the trick. Furthermore, the properties Sauvignon blanc develops in warm climates are well taken care of: a vegetal aroma similar to tomato and green herbs, as well as tropical, floral scents and flavors that go well with the sardines.
The last piece in the puzzle is the wine’s fresh acidity, which cleanses and elevates the food’s flavors, while at the same time harmonizing with the tomatoes’ acidity.
And should you just have a glass of wine, without the accompaniment of food, the wine is still really good.