National Watermelon Day! Pair This: Watermelon Salad with Sparkling Wine or Rosé

Today is Friday, August 3, 2012, and it is National Watermelon Day. I absolutely love watermelon – it’s juicy, sweet, refreshing and is delicious on its own or mixed with other tantalizing ingredients. Watermelon is excellent paired with Rosé and Sparkling Wines, and two wines from one local winery located in Veneta, Oregon, are perfect accompaniments to watermelon: Domaine Meriwether’s NV Pinot Rosé and NV Brut Cuvee Methode Champenoise Sparkling Wine.

Watermelon with Mint, Lime & a Splash of Rum

With Domaine Meriwether’s NV Brut Cuvee, my all-time favorite Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime from FoodandWine.com is a pairing of pure perfection. I’ve had this dashing duo on numerous occasions, and I’ll be pairing the two again, this afternoon, in celebration of National Watermelon Day. In the glass, Domaine Meriwether’s NV Brut Cuvee has thousands of beautiful tiny bubbles that flow effortlessly in an upwards stream. The color is pale golden and gorgeous. Aromas and flavors resemble fresh apples and peach and the finish is super crisp and refreshing. The watermelon salad with it’s pinch of cayenne pepper, torn mint leaves, fresh lime and splash of rum simply sing in harmony with the Brut Cuvee.

Another Watermelon Salad recipe I love comes from MyRecipes.com, and the added red onion and Kalamata olives really adds a punch of flavor to the watermelon. The olives pair nicely with the bright acidity in Domaine Meriwether’s NV Pinot Rosé. This salmon hued Rosé has watermelon and strawberry flavors along with a lemon zest finish. The flavors of the wine and the salad really compliment each other while keeping both the crispness of the wine in tune with bold flavors of the salad – a great combination of complex flavors.

So, now that I’ve shared my two favorite Watermelon Salad recipes, it’s time for me to get to the local market and get everything I need to enjoy a little celebration of watermelon. Happy National Watermelon Day! Cheers ~