Easy Fall Recipes & Wine Pairings

As the weather gets colder, there is nothing I love more than cooking a hot meal and snuggling up with some wine. In this post I’ve compiled a few of my favorite fall recipes and wine pairings that are sure to satisfy your comfort meal cravings!

Homemade Chili & Malbec

Whenever the days get shorter and the nights get colder, I always start to crave homemade chili because it is so warm and comforting! This was the first time I tried pairing wine with my chili. We had this Catena 2018 Malbec we picked up at Whole Foods. This wasn’t my favorite Malbec, but any solid Malbec from Mendoza would be a good option. I also think a Zinfandel from Lodi could be an amazing pairing as well. Some kind of red wine that is full body but has more subtle tannins (to not enhance too much of the chili heat) would be great with this meal!

Ingredients

• 2 lb ground beef
• 1 lb pork sausage
• 1 16 oz can kidney beans
• 1 16 oz can pinot beans
• 1 16oz can of pork and beans
• 1 14.5oz can of petit tomatoes
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 cup ketchup
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Cayenne
• Chili powder
• Garlic salt
• Paprika
• S&P
• Cumin
• Cheese, sour cream and cilantro for topping

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Directions

Heat olive oil in a skillet and add chopped onion. After 5 minutes add ground beef and sausage and cooking until brown, then drain. Add meat and onions to a slow cooker and add remaining beans, ketchup, tomato juice, red wine vinegar and spices to your desired amount of seasoning. Let sit on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

This recipe can all be made over the stove top, but slow cooker makes your life easier and the longer it cooks, the more flavor it will have! Top with sour cream, cheese & cilantro.

Mushroom Toast & Pinot Noir

I looove this dish because it is so savory and can be made as an appetizer on crostini or as an entrée on grilled sourdough bread. Mushrooms can sometime be hard to pair with wine, because of the strong umami flavor. If I have a mushroom heavy dish, I always opt to pair it with a Pinot Noir. As pinots age (which is often pretty quickly) they develop earth and mushroom flavors in the bottle. This makes them perfect for pairing with a dish like this!

We opened a bottle of En Route Pinot Noir 2017. En Route does an amazing job with their wines in general, but their Pinot Noir especially is so smooth and balanced. If you haven’t tried this yet, I highly recommend it!

Ingredients

• Sourdough bread
• Variety of mushrooms
• Onion
• S&P
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Umami seasoning (optional)
• Red wine (preferably pinot noir!)

Directions

Chop onion and mushrooms and put in a skillet with olive oil. As you’re cooking add in salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, umami seasoning and a splash of red wine. Simmer until mushrooms are soft and the wine and vinegar is absorbed.

While the mushrooms are simmering, brush olive oil on both sides of the bread and put on skillet over medium heat. Remove once desired crispness.

Spread cream cheese on top of the sourdough and top with mushrooms. Pour yourself a glass of pinot noir and voilá!

Skillet Sausage and Potatoes & Syrah

Some nights there is nothing better than an easy one-skillet dish! This is exactly that. The spice from the sausage pairs perfectly with a nice Syrah from cool climate California or Northern Rhône. We paired this dish with Repris Wines Syrah. It was medium body with slight pepper notes and mainly red fruit on the palate. An approachable red for an approachable dinner!

Ingredients

• Sausage of your choosing
• Potatoes
• Red onion
• Zucchini, mushrooms, or any other veggies you have in the fridge!
• Arugala
• Lemon Juice
• Cayenne
• S&P

Directions

I like to start out by cooking the sausage thoroughly and then setting aside. Season with salt, pepper, a bit of cayenne, and season salt. Next add chopped potatoes and onions to the skillet with olive oil. I like my potatoes soft so these will need a bit of time! Once the potatoes begin to get soft, add in the rest of your vegetables. After a few more minutes add back in the sausage. In a bowl, add arugula, olive oil and sea salt. Top with the sausage mixture and enjoy!

Maple Glazed Salmon, Parmesan Brussel Sprouts & Sauvignon Blanc

Salmon is always one of my favorite dinners. Typically in the summer we will season it lightly with lemon, garlic and pepper and throw it on the grill. For the fall I thought it would be good to switch up our usual recipe and try something new. The maple glaze is the perfect sauce to pair with a more savory side like Brussels sprouts. We had this dinner with a Sauvignon blanc which was a refreshing, crisp pairing to this fresh meal. The Vice Wines does a nice job producing multiple different kinds of Sauvignon Blancs, and we really enjoyed their 2019 Rutherford Napa Valley.

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Ingredients

• Salmon Fillets
• Garlic
• 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• Olive Oil
• Brussel Sprouts
• Garlic powder
• Olive Oil
• S&P
• Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together maple syrup, soy sauce and minced garlic. Place salmon on baking sheet with parchment paper and top with about 1/3 of the glaze mixture (save the rest for later). Cook for 10 minutes, add another 1/3 of the glaze and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Once cooked, add the remaining glaze for serving.

For the brussel sprouts, chop into halves or quarters. Toss in a bowl with all seasonings. I used my air fryer for this recipe, but you can also use your oven (cook on 400 degrees for 25 minutes, tossing halfway). Follow specific directions for each air fryer (cooking times vary). For the last 5 minutes, sprinkle parmesan cheese all over.