This nutritious salad offers a multitude of flavors and textures: rich meaty lobster, waxy red potatoes, and sweet end-of-summer corn and tomatoes — all tossed with a mustard-based dressing that has a big kick of tongue-tingling tarragon (try to say that three times fast!).

When considering a wine to serve with the salad, my approach was similar to a cook who squeezes lemon juice over a dish to give it a fresh, clean taste. A wine with naturally high acidity can do the same for food, sharpening its flavors and lending an extra dose of freshness.

I often look to northerly winemaking regions when seeking wines that provide that kind of zing. And Germany is one of those places. At the northernmost limit for grape growing, Germany’s cool climate vineyards yield lean wines of startling purity and zippy acidity. These excellent “food wines” go especially well with fresh summer dishes.

Following the recipe, check out two German wines, a white and a rosé, that I served with the salad.

Lobster, Corn, Tomato, and Potato Salad With Tarragon

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, June 2000. Serves 4 main courses or 8 appetizers

1 lb small red potatoes

3 ears corn

1 & 1/2 lb cooked fresh lobster meat (2 - 3 lobsters)

2 & 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup coarsely chopped frisée (French curly endive) or substitute any lettuce of your choice

1/3 cup sliced scallion

1) Bring a pot of salted water to boil and simmer potatoes until just tender, 15-20 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander, reserving boiling water in pot. Boil corn in same water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, then drain. Chop lobster meat into 1-inch pieces. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and cut corn from cobs.

2) Make vinaigrette. Whisk together lemon juice, tarragon, mustard, salt and sugar until combined, then add oil in a thin stream, whisking.

3) Assemble salad. Just before serving, toss together lobster, potatoes, corn, vinaigrette, tomatoes, frisée, and scallion in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

**The labels are as bright and lively as the wines!**

German Wine Pairing: White and Rosé

When it comes to German wines, the glorious Riesling grape leads the pack, accounting for well over half of the country’s vineyard area. Yet there are many other white and a few red grape varieties, such as Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, that play a prominent role in German wine production. These wines, made mostly in a dry style, offer the perfect balance of acidity, low alcohol, and fruit to match a variety of dishes.

Here are two German wines, a white and a rosé, that were an excellent accompaniment to the lobster corn salad. Learn more about pairing food with German wines at germanwineusa.com.

Pinot Blanc: Wittmann Pinot Blanc dry 2017.

This family estate, located in the Rheinhessen region, has been producing wine since 1663 — more than 350 vintages of experience, spanning 15 generations! And during the past few decades, Wittmann has been one of the pioneers of organic (1990) and biodynamic (2004) viticulture in the area.

“100 Hills” is an affordable, entry-level bottling, yet it drinks like a wine with a much heftier price tag. The wine’s faint aromas of pear and melon mix perfectly with its lemony tang. On the palate, it is light and bright, yet with a slight textural (almost oily) plushness. The lengthy finish and bright acidity make it a great match with rich lobster meat, but the wine would also go well with chicken dishes and roast pork.

**Weingut Wittmann’s Freshly harvested Pinot Blanc grapes.**

Pinot Noir Rosé: Leitz Pinot Noir Rosé 2018

Weingut Josef Leitz is one of top growers and producers in the small, but significant, Rheingau region. The vineyards’ steep slopes, located in the westernmost part of the region, overlook the Rhine River. The winery is especially known for its top Rieslings, grown on Grand Cru terraced vineyards.

This bone dry rosé of Pinot Noir is energetic and refreshing, a top pick for summer sipping. Acid and mineral-driven, the mouthwatering palate is full of ripe peach, strawberry and raspberry flavors. A great match with the salad, it would also be a fine choice for salty snacks, tomato-arugula pasta and fried chicken, or simply on its own.

Other Recommended German Wineries

Organic/Biodynamic Producers: Rebholz, Müller-Catoir, Melsheimer, Eva Fricke, Julia Betram, Beurer, Peter Lauer, Gunderloch, Stefan Vetter.

Conventional Producers: Dönnhoff, Selbach Oster, Schloss Vollrads, Von Winning, Joh. Jos. Prüm, S.A. Prüm, Max Ferd Richter.

Many thanks to German Wine Specialist and co-editor of Trink Magazine Valerie Kathawala for the list of recommended organic and biodynamic wine producers.