Spring on a plate – fresh, sweet, spicy, creamy
If you are looking for wine and food pairing in its lightest, most summery form, you will find it here. The strawberry and rocket salad is one of those dishes that you understand as soon as you take your first bite: the sweetness of the ripe strawberry, the sharpness of the rocket, the creamy spiciness of the goat’s cheese and the deep, caramelized sweetness of the balsamic reduction combine to create a flavour that is both simple and complex. The right wine pairing must maintain this balance – it must not be too heavy for the fresh salad, not too neutral for the strawberry and not too flat for the goat’s cheese. A sparkling wine with finesse and berry fruit is ideal: The Crémant d’Alsace AOC Brut from Alsace, with its fine perlage, citrus-apple aroma and elegant dryness, is one of the most beautiful discoveries of the spring season for this salad. It is also great value for money: champagne quality for a fraction of the price.
Ideal wine accompaniment: Crémant d’Alsace AOC Brut (Alsace, France)
From Alsace, where Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris blend together to create a sparkling wine with a fine perlage, elegant aromas and remarkable depth, comes one of Europe’s underrated sparkling wines. Produced using the traditional bottle fermentation method, Crémant d’Alsace AOC Brut develops aromas of green apple, pear, citrus blossom, a hint of white berry and a subtle brioche note from the yeast maturation. This fruitiness is the first key to the pairing: the apple-pear notes of the Crémant meet the strawberry in the salad on a sweet and fruity level without competing with it – both elevate each other. The fine perlage is the second key: it cleanses the palate after the creamy goat’s cheese and the balsamic reduction in a way that no still wine can achieve. On the palate, the crémant is dry, fresh and pleasantly long – not a sweet sparkling wine, but a dry brut that does not overshadow the strawberry, but leads to it.
Further wine recommendations for this dish
Rosé de Provence AOC (Provence, France)
From the limestone and slate soils of Provence comes a rosé wine with a pale salmon pink and delicate strawberry and herb aromas, which offers a more direct, warmer alternative to crémant for the strawberry and rocket salad. Its fresh strawberry note mirrors the strawberry salad, its herbal spiciness matches the rocket and its elegant dryness balances the balsamic reduction. Served chilled, it is the most relaxed accompaniment for a spring evening on the terrace. For all those who prefer a still rosé to a sparkling wine in a glass with a strawberry salad.
Sancerre AOC rosé (Loire, France)
The Sancerre Rosé from Pinot Noir on Loire limestone brings a minerality and a raspberry-strawberry freshness that goes beyond most rosé wines. Its taut acidity cuts through the goat’s cheese and balsamic reduction with precision, while its freshness keeps the salad light. For all those who prefer Loire elegance to Provençal warmth in a strawberry and rocket salad and prefer tension to melting in the glass.
Pfalz Muskateller QbA dry (Pfalz, Germany)
The floral rose petal and citrus blossom aroma of the Pfalz Muskateller QbA trocken meets the strawberry in the salad on an amazingly direct, floral level. It is light and accessible, with a natural sweetness that makes it an aperitif companion – and creates precisely this mood with the strawberry salad. Its moderate acidity carries the goat’s cheese, while its floral notes enhance the strawberry. For all those who prefer the most playful, flowery German white wine in their glass with strawberry salad.
Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Rosé (Emilia-Romagna, Italy)
A dry Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Rosé – slightly sparkling, berry-fresh, with a delicate pink color and low alcohol structure – is a surprisingly harmonious, uncomplicated choice for this strawberry and rocket salad. Its strawberry and raspberry aroma hits the salad strawberry head on, its perlage enlivens the goat’s cheese and the balsamic reduction. It is more playful than the crémant, less complex, but an immediate delight. For anyone looking for a light, cheerful, inexpensive wine to accompany a spring salad.
You can find more light spring recipes with matching wines on the spring and wine overview page.
The recipe:
Strawberry and rocket salad with goat’s cheese and balsamic reduction
Cooking utensils
- 1 Small pot for the balsamic reduction
- 1 Salad bowl
- 1 Small screw-top jar (for the dressing)
- 1 Cutting board
Ingredients
- 250 g ripe strawberries quartered
- 80 g Rocket Washed and spun dry
- 120 g Goat’s cheese roll cut into slices
- 30 g Walnuts Coarsely chopped and roasted
FOR THE BALSAMIC REDUCTION:
- 80 ml Balsamico di Modena
- 1 tsp honey
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- Salt black pepper
Preparation
PREPARATION:
- Roast the walnuts in a dry pan until golden brown, leave to cool.
- Shake all the dressing ingredients vigorously in a screw-top jar, season to taste.
- Wash, hull and quarter the strawberries.
COOKING STEPS:
- Reduce the balsamic vinegar and honey by half in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for approx. 5-8 minutes until a syrupy consistency is achieved.
- Leave to cool slightly.
DIRECTIONS:
- Spread the rocket loosely on two flat plates or a large platter.
- Spread the strawberry quarters evenly over the rocket.
- Arrange the goat’s cheese slices.
- Sprinkle with toasted walnuts.
- Drizzle over the dressing just before serving.
- Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the salad in fine lines.
SUPPLEMENTS:
- Crispy ciabatta or focaccia
- Fresh mint leaves as garnish
- Halved strawberry as decoration
