Horiatiko (Greek salad)

Tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, Kalamata olives, and a slab of feta cheese, dressed with olive oil and oregano. No lettuce.

Pairs Perfectly

Assyrtiko from Santorini, Greece. Volcanic mineral salinity meets feta and olive brine in a single sweep, the bone-dry electric acid handles the tomato acid cleanly, and the unoaked profile sits alongside oregano without competing.

Pairs Well

Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, Touraine, France. Grassy-herbal aromatics meet the green pepper and oregano, and the cutting acid handles the tomato beautifully.

Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, Italy. The vivid full-bodied Montepulciano rosato handles the substantial salad with red-fruit weight, and the chilled rosé format works with the meze register beautifully.

Worth Seeking Out

Malagouzia from a serious Greek producer. The aromatic native Greek white with peach-and-herb character meets the salad's bright simplicity with regional fidelity.

Avoid

Oaked whites — overwhelm the bright dish; tannic reds — clash with tomato and brine; sweet wines — wrong against feta's salt; aromatic whites with rose or lychee — fight oregano.

Failing That

A Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, northern Italy.

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