We love salad! We love wine! How do you get the most out of your Naked Wine with Salad experience?

We love salad! We love wine! How do you get the most out of your Naked Wine with Salad experience?

First of all, let’s talk about the salad dressing. If you're thinking about making a vinaigrette style dressing, you’ll want to avoid an “acid” war. We recommend increasing the relative amount of olive oil that is used (sounds good already, doesn’t it?) or experimenting with walnut or hazelnut oil to add flavor complexity. For that small amount of vinegar remaining in the recipe, use a high quality balsamic. Balsamic vinegar made from wine grapes and aged in oak barrels so we think it's a kindred spirit of wine. If your brain is still saying, “no no, still too much acid”, eliminate the vinegar altogether and use a fruit juice (lemon, lime, orange) instead. In either case we also like just a pinch more salt in the dressing when paired with wine.

We’re glad that salads have evolved from the standard iceberg lettuce and friends. Our current favorite pairs Diva Sangiovese with grilled shrimp and endive salad with pine nuts, crispy bacon, shaved parmesan, sliced strawberries all served on top of a bed of fresh greens with an Orange-Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing.

Orange-Walnut Vinaigrette Recipe
Ingredients:
Grated peel of 1 orange
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 shallots, minced
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons walnut oil
1 tablespoon chive, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped