Dinner Party Trio: A Harvest Dinner in Three Pours

Harvest is the season when wine country cooks for itself. The grapes are coming in, the evenings are cooling off, and the table fills with squash, pears, grapes, and the last of the peppers. Dinner Party Trio is our new series for exactly that kind of table: three City Winery wines chosen to follow one another through a single evening, each paired with recipes, so you have everything you need to host. This first edition is a harvest dinner party for six, and every dish can be made ahead or finished in minutes.

The menu follows the wines as they gain weight through the night. A crisp white comes out cold at the door while guests mingle. A skin-contact orange wine arrives with soup or salad once everyone sits. A perfumed, lighter-bodied Reserve Grenache carries the main course. Put a record on, open the first bottle, and let the evening build.

First Pour: 2025 Sauvignon Blanc

Serve at 45 to 50°F, well chilled.

Our Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Rooster Vineyard, set at 1,360 feet on alluvial soil a couple of miles south of Clear Lake, with the dormant volcano Mt. Konocti rising about a mile to the west. The grapes are pressed gently, and only the juice from the heart of the press is kept. It ferments cold in stainless steel for 50 to 60 days and goes to bottle young, so everything bright about it stays intact. In the glass you'll find cut grass, boxwood, ripe passion fruit, and a little fresh bell pepper, with crunchy acidity and a finish that tastes like fresh-squeezed lemonade.

That profile wants salt, citrus, something green, and something rich for the acidity to cut through. All three bites below are made to be eaten standing up, one hand free for the glass. The 2025 Sauvignon Blanc is available in the City Winery Wine Shop if you'd like a few bottles chilling before the doorbell rings.

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Lime and Flaky Salt

The shishito's green snap lines up with the fresh bell pepper in the wine.

• 1 lb shishito peppers
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 lime
• Flaky sea salt

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Toss the peppers in oil and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes until blistered in spots. Squeeze lime over the top, salt generously, and serve warm in a bowl.

Shrimp Ceviche with Green Apple in Endive Leaves

Ceviche is one of the winemaker's own pairings for this bottle, and crisp fall apple brings it into harvest season. Cooked shrimp keeps it quick and easy for a home kitchen.

• 1 lb cooked, peeled shrimp, chopped
• Juice of 4 limes and 1 orange
• 1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced
• ½ small red onion, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste
• 2 to 3 heads endive, leaves separated

Combine everything except the endive and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours. Spoon into endive leaves just before guests arrive.

Whipped Goat Cheese Crostini with Honey and Thyme

Goat cheese and Sauvignon Blanc is a classic for good reason. The cheese's tang meets the wine's acidity, and its richness makes every sip taste brighter.

• 1 baguette, sliced ¼ inch thick
• Olive oil
• 8 oz fresh goat cheese, softened
• 3 tbsp whole milk
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Honey and fresh thyme leaves, for finishing

Brush the bread with oil and toast at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Whip the goat cheese, milk, and lemon zest until smooth. Spread onto the toasts and finish with a thin drizzle of honey and a few thyme leaves.

Second Pour: 2025 Skin-Contact Albariño

Serve at 50 to 55°F, cooler than a red and warmer than a white.

Albariño left on its skins becomes something else entirely. The skins give the wine its amber color, a gentle grip, and the body to stand up to real food. This one smells like autumn: squash blossom, coriander, freshly raked leaves, and butterscotch. On the palate, juicy ripe melon and orange peel join in, held together by a weighty, refined texture, and the finish runs long with minerality and citrus.

Those aromas practically write the recipes. Serve the soup and salad as small courses back to back, or choose one: soup for a cool night, salad for a warm one. Our Skin-Contact Albariño is in the City Winery Wine Shop, and it tends to become the bottle guests ask about on their way out.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Coriander, Orange, and Brown Butter Pepitas

The squash picks up the wine's squash blossom, the coriander mirrors its spice, and a last hit of orange ties it all to the orange peel in the glass.

• 1 large butternut squash (about 3 lb), peeled and cubed
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp coriander seed
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• Salt to taste
• For the topping: 2 tbsp butter and ⅓ cup pepitas

1. Roast the squash and onion in the olive oil at 425°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until caramelized at the edges.
2. Toast the coriander in a dry pan until fragrant, then crush it.
3. Blend the roasted vegetables, coriander, and stock until smooth. Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the orange zest and juice and season with salt.
4. For the topping, melt the butter until it smells nutty and turns golden, then add the pepitas and cook until they begin to pop.

The soup keeps for two days in the fridge and tastes better on day two. Add the topping just before serving.

Pear and Arugula Salad with Aged Gouda, Hazelnuts, and Orange-Coriander Vinaigrette

Aged Gouda develops crunchy crystals and a caramel sweetness that meet the butterscotch in the wine head on.

• 5 oz arugula
• 2 ripe Bosc pears, thinly sliced
• ½ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 3 oz aged Gouda, shaved

For the vinaigrette:

• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• ½ tsp toasted, ground coriander
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together. Dress the greens lightly, layer in the pears, and finish with the hazelnuts and cheese.

Third Pour: 2023 Reserve Grenache Cuvée Alder Springs

Serve at 58 to 62°F, about 15 to 20 minutes in the fridge before pouring.

This is the bottle the evening has been building toward. The nose is perfumed and layered: dried flowers, culinary herbs, frankincense and myrrh, with threads of peppercorn and baking spice. In the mouth come caramel, juicy muddled berries, and butterscotch candy. It's lighter bodied, with fine-grained tannin and lively acidity, and the finish lingers on pink peppercorn and strawberries with cream.

A Grenache this graceful gets buried under a heavy braise or a big steak. It wants lean meat, fresh herbs, and a touch of fruit. The 2023 Reserve Grenache is available through the City Winery Wine Shop, and it's worth grabbing an extra bottle for yourself.

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Grapes and Pink Peppercorn

Rosemary and fennel seed echo the herbs in the wine. The roasted grapes meet its muddled berries, and pink peppercorn in the pan sauce mirrors the finish.

• 2 pork tenderloins (about 1¼ lb each)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp fennel seed, crushed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 lb red seedless grapes, in small clusters
• 2 shallots, quartered
• ½ cup stock, or a splash of the Grenache
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp pink peppercorns, lightly crushed

1. Rub the pork with the oil, herbs, fennel, garlic, salt, and pepper, and let it rest for 30 minutes. This can be done in the morning.
2. Sear the pork on all sides in an oven-safe skillet, then arrange the grapes and shallots around it.
3. Roast at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pork reaches 140°F inside. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
4. Set the skillet over medium heat, deglaze with the stock, and swirl in the butter and pink peppercorns.
5. Slice the pork and spoon the grapes and sauce over the top.

Soft Parmesan Polenta

• 1½ cups polenta
• 6 cups water or stock
• 3 tbsp butter
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan
• Salt to taste

Whisk the polenta into the simmering liquid and cook, stirring often, until creamy. Finish with the butter and Parmesan. Polenta holds well with a lid on, and a splash of warm liquid loosens it right back up.

Roasted Mushrooms with Thyme

Earthy mushrooms bring out the resinous, frankincense side of the Grenache.

• 1½ lb mixed mushrooms (maitake, cremini, oyster), torn
• Olive oil
• Thyme sprigs
• Salt
• A splash of sherry vinegar

Toss the mushrooms with oil, thyme, and salt, and roast in the same 425°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until browned. Finish with a splash of sherry vinegar. For vegetarian guests, double the mushrooms and serve them over the polenta as the main.

To Finish

Save a last glass of Grenache for strawberries tossed with a little sugar, served with softly whipped cream and a pinch of crushed pink peppercorn. The wine already finishes on strawberries and cream, and this puts that note on the plate.

The Host's Game Plan

• Two days before: Make the soup and the vinaigrette.
• Morning of: Whip the goat cheese, toast the crostini and hazelnuts, and rub the pork.
• One hour before guests arrive: Make the ceviche and chill the Sauvignon Blanc. Take the Albariño out of the fridge 20 minutes before it's poured.
• When the soup goes out: Put the Grenache in the fridge, sear the pork, roast it alongside the mushrooms, and keep the polenta warm.

How Much Wine to Buy

A bottle pours about five glasses, so three bottles — one of each wine — gives six guests a generous pour at every course. That's just about right for a dinner party of six. Hosting seven to twelve? Six bottles, two of each, covers the table.

Six bottles also happens to be where shipping gets easier. Order six or more bottles on the City Winery website and shipping is a $20 flat rate. Order twelve or more and it ships free, which leaves you set up for the next dinner too.