PAIRING THE SALAD COURSE WITH WINE. TODAY’S EDUCATE AT HOME DURING THE PANDEMIC EVENT FACTS
For those of you who know me, you know how passionate I am about my career as an event planner and wedding consultant. For me unlike many other consultants and like a few, I immerse myself in my career. It is not a 9-to-5 job. For me event design is not just about the decor, I’ve said this repeatedly. It’s about unique and memorable details, that all work in harmony together to create an event or wedding experience. This is best evidenced by my tagline “there is no such thing as a small detail.” I am constantly educating myself by attending seminars, conferences and trade shows. I want to have a “cabinet” of unique ideas and resources. Especially when designing and coordinating a wedding, I have a long discussion with a couple about what they love. I incorporate these pieces of their style within the wedding design. This is also very prevalent for social events, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, anniversaries, and milestone birthday celebrations. From the food to the flowers, from the paper to the music, and everything in between, I like to sprinkle everything with their personalities. For a corporate event, I like to come up with very unexpected and out of the box details that will send home guests saying “I’ve never seen that before”. 
This pandemic has had me sheltering at home for the last six months. Almost every event that I have had scheduled this year has pretty much cancelled postponed or rescheduled. In between juggling all these details and re-designing and realigning everything, this also means in person conferences tradeshows and seminars have also canceled. However our industry is strong. Seminars have turned in the webinars, and industry meetings have turned into zoom meetings. Tradeshows are now companies showing new products online. I have been keeping up with a lot of these. Even before the pandemic hit, I am constantly researching and looking for new ideas. I read numerous lifestyle and wedding magazines and blogs a. magazines a month. I’ve learned that inspiration is everywhere! Even when shopping, going out to eat, attending a theatrical performance, or just taking a walk by the lake.
In my monthly reading I came across an article in this months food and wine, that discusses proper wine to serve with salad. I was really intrigued and wanted to share with you what I learned. The best wine selection really depends upon the type of dressing you are using. It’s very similar to the old adage “it’s not the meat, it’s the sauce“. The article suggests to taste the wine, then taste the dressing, then taste the wine again.
Vinaigrettes
-Tart and acidic dressings go best with super tart wines like Sauvignon Blanc
Ranch Style Dressings
-Creamier dressings, such as a Caesar, buttermilk or ranch, go with a wine that has a fair amount of body but also has some acidity to balance out the rich dressing. Pinot Grisis a great option
Sweet Dressings
- For those with a sweet tooth when selecting a dressing, such as a sweet spicy ginger sesame dressing, the correct wine won’t taste as sweet such as Riesling or a Vouvray.
So while we are at home and trying to eat healthy, break open a bottle of wine that will enhance your salad experience! And they don’t have to be expensive. You can get so many great wines for under $10. I’ve learned that. When I took a wine course with a sommelier the first thing she said was drink what you like. “Don’t worry about the rules. And don’t discount cheap wine no pun intended.”