WCWC's Fall Food & Wine Guide

Wines, Cooking, recipes

October 19, 2022

Our garden is full, our table is long, and our cellar is CHOCK full of wine! We couldn't possibly pull all of it out (though we may want to), so we've hand-selected the wines that will pair to a range of dishes and lengthy conversations with family by the fire. To best prepare for this scrumptious season, check out our plans for pairing this Fall!

A HUGE special thank you to the Hill Country Bon Vivant, Texan decor and entertaining specialist, who set the beautiful stage for our wines to shine and our Chocolate Torte to glow! (Check out her social page and website down below.)

PLUS we have a special discounted pack of select wines with a BONUS Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Caramel Torte Recipe included with purchase (CLICK to check it out!)

Lost Draw Cellars Pairings

2021 Saignée Rosé, Letkeman Family Vineyard

(66% Meunier, 34% Sangiovese)

Make no mistake, this is a big rosé with big food pairing potential. Saignée means ‘to bleed off’, referring to the wine being bled off of a fermenting red wine. Essentially, saignée method rosé is more similar to a red than white wine (apart from the color). No need to chill this too much, and creatively pair this pink juice with anything salty or fatty for a high reward and refreshing alternative to a simple aperitif. Watch the fruitiness pop out of the wine with a bit of caviar, and that tart ‘kiss’ disappear after a lick of sour cream, dill, and smoked salmon.

Selected dish: Toasted Crostini and Pâté and Deviled Quail Eggs

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2020 Cinsaut, La Pradera Vineyard

The grape Cinsaut was serious in 2020. Darker and more concentrated in flavor than usual, especially in comparison to other grape varieties harvested that same year, we selected grapes from a single block within La Pradera Vineyard. This extra special wine is lush and fruity with spice notes throughout, and a floral bouquet brought in by the Grenache grape. That, all alongside a bit of ‘heat’ from alcohol, and you have the perfect cool-weather warm-up wine! Poppy fruit, spice-notes, and high alcohol is a wonderful go-to for honey-glazed ham, dark turkey meat, or any other highly flavored lean or fatty protein. Braised or confit briskets and birds - even better!

Selected dish: Crispy Turkey Leg and Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapeños

2020 Sangiovese, Texas Hill Country

Sangiovese was made to pair with food, from pizza to pasta to ragout. THIS Sangiovese has a strong presence from both Syrah and Mourvèdre, the pepper and smoke aromas they bring making the perfect wine pairing to a fire pit, charred ribs, and blistered shishito peppers. Even better, the powerful flavors are not accompanied by a lot of alcohol, a benefit because the wine won’t overwhelm the delicate flavors of a delicious dish. AND you can drink more of it without it going to your head too fast (an important consideration when an evening full of wine is in store!)

Selected dish: 10 Hour Slow-Charred Brisket with Bacon Yucca Potato Salad

Grower Project Pairing

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2020 Sangiovese 'The Source'

Another Sangiovese, yet they are not made alike! Entirely from Uplift Vineyard, this wine has a mineral and herb note that this ancient area is becoming known for. Any herb-crusted pork or poultry will be made to shine, and a roasted vegetable plate will highlight the mineral earth-tones of this jewel-toned wine. The Grower Project shines a light on the growers and land at the source of the flavor of its wines, and nothing puts this wine more in touch with the source than food harvested from the Texas soil right next to us.

Selected dish: Roasted Sweet Potato, Blackened Corn, and Goat Cheese Crema Tacos

William Chris Vineyards Pairings

2019 Syrah, Frio Canyon Vineyard

A sommelier’s favorite grape for cool weather, Syrah or Shiraz is full of dark plum, blackberry, herb, and black pepper notes that are the winter of wine. This Hill Country wine has clean, mineral, stony notes that beg for dishes prepared over stone rather than wood. Try a salt-block roasted salmon, a cast-iron chicken, or even a stone-cooked pizza. In any event, a beech or button mushroom will make the pairing sing.

Selected dish: Cast-Iron Pepper Steak with Blackberry-Herb Compound Butter

2020 Artist Blend,Vintage Press Vineyard

Friends love a blend at a party, and there is a reason why! With the black fruit and pepper notes of Syrah, the lush red fruit of Grenache, the smokey pipe tones from Mourvèdre, and the rustic gaminess of Tannat, it is a wine for every person and many dishes. When you are staring down a long table soon to be laden with starches, vegetables, grains, meats, gravy’s and Grandma’s casserole, a blend is one of the best options to adjust to each helping.

Selected dish: Lamb and Beef Gyro with Braised Cippolinis and Rich Bulgarian Feta Cheese

2019 Mourvèdre, La Pradera Vineyard

The beauty of Mourvèdre is expressed across Texas in different ways - each vineyard pulls out different notes due to small changes in climate, soil, sun, and even more factors. La Pradera Vineyard is one that we have worked with for 9 years now, and the lovely blue fruit notes that the site pulls out of its wines are unique to this very location. Because of this ripe fruit the wine is teed up for gamey meats like quail, boar, and elk.

Selected dish: Fried Quail with Provolone Stuffed Mushrooms and Sausage Stuffing

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2019 Tannat, Vintage Press Vineyard

The inky dark color and flavors of Tannat are here for us when the sun starts setting way earlier than it should! Only the most indulgent dishes are to be enjoyed with a wine this rustic, earthy, bold, and dry - 70% dark chocolate, moist brisket, and chicken mole. To bring out the fruit and soft side of this wine, decant it first and then salt your dish! Consider this the sprinkle of fairy dust that makes for a magical food and wine pairing.

Selected dish: Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Caramel Torte Recipe with Ricotta Whipped Cream

Original Chocolate Torte recipe included if you take home our Fall Food Pairing Pack!

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