Cooler weather hit today - the perfect setting for writing about our exciting new Fall and Winter pairings! We have had the continuing honor of working with the local Hill Country Bon Vivant, JeriLynne Clifford, who pulled out ALL the stops. This year, we'll eat and leave no crumbs with this feast built for friends, family, neighbors, and more. Read all about the wines, recipe selections, and handy tips here below.

We all know it's true - no table in the coming season is complete without William Chris’ flagship wine, Enchanté. With a show-stopping new vintage of this wine, we pulled out the best wines in our collection to compliment this velvety red blend. I’m excited to say that we are finally pulling our last bottles of the 2019 Hunter Merlot blend for this extra special Fall Food & Wine Pack, not only because it compliments the Enchanté in representing our winery’s history so well but because it is so versatile alongside food! On the other hand, the 2022 Veraison Hills Blend calls to the new wine styles and stories our winemaking team is creating with vineyard partners who make their mark on us with every new vintage of their beautiful Texas grapes. To round out this list of wines is a “wild card” - the wine that surprises and delights with the dish it’s perfectly paired with. The 2020 Loyal Valley Tannat is one of the most unique wines we’ve tasted of late and is at the perfect time in its lifespan for opening and enjoying. Together, we've bundled these wines with curated recipes that anyone can make in just a few hours!

Featured wines in the FALL food & wine PACK:

- 2022 Enchanté, Texas Hill Country (*not yet released!)
- 2019 Merlot, Hunter Vineyard (*last chance)
- 2022 Veraison Hills Vineyard Blend
- 2020 Tannat, Loyal Valley Vineyard
- Printed recipe cards to pair with each wine

$244 $190

SHOP NOW!

VERAISON HILLS BLEND - MUSHROOM-BRIE BRUSCHETTA

We’ll begin the story of our feast with the Veraison Hills Blend, which was selected for its ability to meld to any wine drinker’s palate (or wine skeptic’s!) A good blend blends with many different dishes or recipes with many ingredients. JeriLynne masterfully crafted a dish that would play at making the wine taste pleasantly dry and earthy amidst all of its exaggerated fruitiness.

As guests arrive for your feast, pop this open and pass around the Mushroom-Brie Bruschetta, which is so easy to make and delivers big-time flavor. You won’t believe that the meal can get better from there, and suddenly, you have your go-to dish for the season!

*Helpful tip to make this pairing work:

- Have fun picking out the prettiest array of mushrooms

- Don’t cut the pieces too small (or at all

- Lightly chill the 2022 Veraison Hills Blend (55-60 °F) -this will prep your palate for the meal ahead

ENCHANTÉ & HUNTER MERLOT -

PORK LOIN WITH SHALLOTS & FENNEL,

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH PISTACHIO & PARSLEY PESTO

There is a theory that says a complex dish should be paired with a simple wine, and a simple dish should be paired with a complex wine. This is one reason we often see the finest red wine of the night paired with the centerpiece of a meal. The simplicity of Prime Rib, a Ribeye, or a cauliflower steak allows the wine to express all of its impressive layers without conflict. With two show-stopping wines at one dinner, we’ve opted for a dual pairing that will show off the versatility of both wines.

Your preference for pairing which wine with which main dish is all yours, but we would like to recommend enjoying these altogether! Taste everything and find your uniquely perfect match between our two flagship wines, JeriLynne’s delightful pork loin with fennel, and her Triple "P" Roasted Cauliflower (parsley, pesto, and pistachio). We especially delight in how both of these wines enhance the nutty and herbaceous notes in each dish!

*Helpful tips:

- Decant your Enchanté 30 minutes prior to serving

- Salt the cauliflower to the taste of your wine (salt, sip, salt, sip - until the wine is the perfect amount of fruity and soft)

TANNAT - DESSERT

JeriLynne shared with me her story of learning this pie crust recipe in Tuscany, and how it would be one to make her own grandmother mad! The traditional pie crust from her family is classic, passed down through generations, and honoring the steps of pie religion (such as folding in frozen butter.) In Tuscany, however, the nona teaching JeriLynne’s pie crust baking class bucked against any tradition she had ever heard of! Using melted butter?!? JeriLynne’s shocked face in class caused the nona to insist that "this was the way." The resulting pie crust is almost like a cross between a short-bread cookie and a pie crust, with a melt-in-your-mouth effect and a pleasant crumble. Met with a jam-based pie filling, this unique take on a home-style pie will take you less than an hour to make (if that.)

Perhaps as unique as the recipe is the wine we’ve paired with it - the 2020 Tannat from Loyal Valley Vineyard in Mason County. This is a fresh take on what is typically a hefty variety of wine, crystalline in appearance and silky smooth on the palate. Here, we are going for a pairing of fruity with fruity, where the wine will find its structure and dryness in the pairing with food. If you’re like me, you’ll pick a tart jam and keep salt near by to sprinkle on the berry filling!

*Helpful tip

- Lightly chill the Tannat (60-65 °F)

- Go rustic, not perfect for the pie crust, and splurge on your favorite jam!

Want all of JeriLynne's curated recipes? Pick up your FALL FOOD & WINE PACK today. Included in the pack:

$244  $190 - add two bottles of your choice and get shipping free!

As always... SANTÉ, Y'ALL!

WORDS & wine selection

BY KELSEY KRAMER

food pairings & stylings

BY jerilynne

https://hillcountrybonvivant.com/

@the_hill_country_bon_vivant

Photography

by Dave Capote

@freshmediaco