Wine-paired harvest dinners are a beloved part of the fall season in Virginia’s tastings country. They not only are a great way for local vineyards and wineries to show off their various vintages and wines but also offer guests the opportunity to better learn about staple wine and food pairings, while also enjoying a farm-to-table meal. Plus, many of these dinners offer guests the exclusive chance to meet and interact with the winemaker. Here is an inside look at one of these celebrations held at CrossKeys Vineyards last month.
On November 1, CrossKeys hosted their annual Harvest Dinner, featuring a five-course, locally sourced dinner. The dinner was held in CrossKeys’ Key Room, where 55 guests were seated at one long table decorated for the season with a maroon runner, pumpkins and fresh greenery.
The meal began with a sweet potato bisque topped with crispy capicola and vanilla crème fraîche and paired with 2018 Fiore. The second course featured cedar-wilted spinach, warm brie dressing, meyer lemon zest and brulée strawberry, alongside a 2017 Chardonnay. The third course followed with bacon-wrapped pork loin, butternut squash mousseline and prosciutto wrapped squash, which was completed with a 2016 Petit Verdot. Next, guests enjoyed pan-roasted trout, cinnamon apple spoonbread and fried brussels paired with a 2017 Pinot Noir. The delicious meal concluded with blood orange bourbon crème brulée paired with a 2016 Tavern.
During the meal, Winemaker Steve Monson spoke and told guests about the wonderful harvest season CrossKeys had this year. Alongside expressing how the weather was optimal for both harvesting and winemaking, Monson provided industry insight into the various wines the attendees were enjoying throughout the meal.
Guests left the CrossKeys Vineyards‘ harvest dinner full from a delicious farm-to-table feast and excited for the wines that will come from the 2019 grape harvest. If you consider yourself a wine connoisseur or a foodie, we definitely recommend partaking in this seasonal tradition at one of your favorite vineyards next year. You can also see another recent harvest dinner at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards in our latest issue, Book 9! And for more spectacular celebrations at Crosskeys Vineyards visit Wine & Country Weddings. ~
