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Grilled Goat Cheese Salad with Herb Vinaigrette & Walnuts
Apr
Spring Salad Meets New Zealand Wine – Happy Sauvignon Blanc Day!
Wine from New Zealand and a grilled goat cheese salad—that’s pure spring on your plate and in your glass. May 1st is Sauvignon Blanc Day around the world, and no wine-producing country celebrates this day with more justification than New Zealand. Marlborough has reinvented the grape variety and shown the rest of the world what Sauvignon Blanc is truly capable of. This salad is the perfect tribute to this special day: crisp greens, warm grilled goat cheese with a golden-brown crust, toasted walnuts, fresh herbs, and a vibrant citrus vinaigrette—simple, seasonal, and full of flavors that engage in a beautiful dialogue with the wine in your glass.
Ideal wine pairing: Whitehaven Greg Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand)
A grilled goat cheese salad with herb vinaigrette and walnuts calls for a Sauvignon Blanc that captures the herbaceous freshness of the salad, elegantly complements the creamy richness of the goat cheese, and balances the nutty depth of the walnuts with its mineral precision —and this is precisely what this exceptional single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from the Awatere Valley achieves with an elegance that goes far beyond the ordinary. The Greg—named in honor of company founder Greg White—is Whitehaven’s flagship wine, produced exclusively from grapes grown at the Peter family’s Alton Downs Family Vineyard in the Awatere Valley. In the glass, it glows a bright lemon-green with brilliant clarity, and the nose is marked by a refined, pure Awatere Valley character: lifted green plum and tomato leaf meet grapefruit and gentle herbal notes, along with a hint of wet river stones—a mineral depth that gives the wine its unmistakable signature. On the palate, it is complex and textured: fresh green herbs and green pepper meet layers of white peach, boxwood, and a subtle hint of sea salt—concentrated yet elegant. The acidity is taut and energetic, cutting precisely through the creamy goat cheese and bringing the herb vinaigrette into a lively, tingling balance. The finish is long, refreshing, and marked by an edgy minerality—a wine that transforms this salad into a feast and celebrates Sauvignon Blanc Day in style.
The recipe:
Grilled Goat Cheese Salad with Herb Vinaigrette & Walnuts
Equipment
- 1 Grillpfanne oder Backofen mit Grillfunktion
- Rührschüsseln
- 1 Schneidebrett und Messer
- 1 Kleines Glas oder Schraubglas für Vinaigrette
- 1 Pfanne für Walnüsse
- 1 Backpapier
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD:
- 150 g mixed leaf salads Arugula, lamb’s lettuce, frisée
- 1 Goat cheese log about 150 g, sliced into 4 pieces
- 60 g walnut kernels coarsely chopped
- 1 small red onion sliced into paper-thin rings
- 1 a small bunch of fresh herbs Parsley, chives, tarragon
- 100 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 A tablespoon of honey to drizzle over the goat cheese
FOR THE HERB VINAIGRETTE:
- 3 tablespoon of good extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon of Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 1 garlic clove finely grated
- 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs Parsley and tarragon, finely chopped
- Salt and white pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
PREPARATION:
- Wash all the salad ingredients, spin them dry, and set them aside.
- Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until golden brown—stir constantly so they don’t burn.
- For the vinaigrette, combine olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, herbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a screw-top jar and shake vigorously until the mixture emulsifies.
COOKING STEPS:
- Preheat the oven to broil or heat a grill pan over medium heat.
- Place the goat cheese slices on parchment paper, drizzle with honey, and broil for 3–4 minutes until the surface is golden brown and slightly caramelized.
- Alternatively, sear on one side in a grill pan for 2–3 minutes.
SERVE:
- Arrange the mixed leaf salads on two large, flat plates.
- Scatter cherry tomatoes, red onion rings, and fresh herbs on top.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette evenly over the salad.
- Place the warm slices of goat cheese directly from the grill onto the salad.
- Sprinkle generously with toasted walnuts.
- Serve immediately—the goat cheese tastes best when warm.
SIDE DISHES:
- Crispy baguette with herb butter
- Grilled peach halves with honey
- Focaccia with Sea Salt and Rosemary
Nutrition
