Melon Salad

Sparkling · Light · Sweet

Asti's more refined sibling — gently frizzante, only 5-6% alcohol, all peach and orange blossom. The perfect summer dessert wine.

Works with Melon Salad · Compote Salad With Strawberries, Melon, And Avocado

White · Light · Dry

Italy's everyday white — light, lemony, neutral by design. Pleasant with anything; profound with very little. The best Friuli bottles are quietly excellent.

Works with Melon Salad · Compote Salad With Strawberries, Melon, And Avocado

White · Light · Off-dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Works with Melon Salad · Compote Salad With Strawberries, Melon, And Avocado

Rosé · Light · Dry

Provence's gift to summer — dry, pale, faintly strawberry-and-citrus, with low alcohol and crisp acid. Made to drink cold, with food, in the shade.

Works with Melon Salad · Compote Salad With Strawberries, Melon, And Avocado

White · Light · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

Works with Melon Salad · Compote Salad With Strawberries, Melon, And Avocado

Provence's most serious red — Mourvèdre-dominated, structured, savory, with notes of black olive, leather, and Mediterranean herb. The age-worthy alternative to a southern Rhône.

Veneto's pale, friendly red — the same Corvina-based blend as Valpolicella, made lighter and fresher. Drinks like a serious rosé; serve slightly chilled.

White · Medium · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

White · Medium · Dry

The most-planted white grape and the most chameleon-like. Crisp and steely from Chablis; rich, oaky, and tropical from California. Read the label, then match the style to the dish.

Provence rosé at its most classic — pale, dry, Mediterranean, with strawberry, citrus, and a saline finish. The wine of Provençal lunches.

Red · Medium · Dry

The blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre that fills every wine list in France for a reason — friendly, peppery, slightly rustic, made to wash down anything from grilled vegetables to lamb stew.

Piedmont's pop wine — Dolcetto from the same region as Barolo, made for joyful weekday drinking. Plum, almond, soft tannins.