Easy Themes
for a Perfect
Fall Gathering
Though entertaining with wine at home can be as simple as popping a few bottles and digging into a good bag of chips (and yes, we love that pairing), leveling-up the creativity on your wine hangouts in October and beyond is super simple and needn’t drain your wallet. Discover themes for your perfect Fall gathering.
Let's Get Creative
The Perfect Fall Gathering
How about going deep on discovery (and maybe a few plates of smoked chipotle chicken wings) with volcanic wines from places like Greece or Sardinia? Or juicy burgers with fizzy wines from around the world? What about star athlete-made wines perfect for a sports-driven sofa soirée, or moody wines that hit the right notes for a Halloween movie binge fest? Here are some ideas—and wines—that will make your October gathering memorable.
Themes & Tips for the Perfect Fall Gathering
THEMES
Go With The Flow
Wines made in volcanic soil have a distinctive and delicious character—including (spoiler alert!) smokiness—that make them great for food pairing, fun to taste or just simply a pleasure to drink. Imagine the landscape in which these wines are grown, from the barren, hard-lava slopes of Sicily’s Mt. Etna to the cliff-side Aegean vineyards of Greece’s Santorini, and savor the style that only a millennia-plus of tectonic activity can bring. Paired with some spicy, smoky dishes, it’s a thrilling match and a guaranteed hot ticket for a cold October night.
THE POURS
- Nerello Mascalese or Nerello Cappuccio/Nerello Mantellato or Nero D’Avola (reds) Mt. Etna/Sicily, Italy
- Assyrtiko (white) Santorini, Greece
- Aglianico del Vulture (red) Basilicata, Italy
- Verdelho (white) The Acores, Portugal
- Malvasia (white) Canary Islands, Spain
THE PLATES
For the whites, grilled seafood filets or smoked fish dip, mussels with white wine, toasted bread with fresh ricotta. For the reds, slow-cooker beef chili, carnitas tacos, wood-fired margherita pizza or spicy chipotle-glazed wings.
Go With The Flow
What’s The Score?
Many top athletes have taken their talents further than the field and gotten into the wine game. This collection of highly-rated bottles backed by big names in all aspects of the sports world is a great addition to your next NFL, NBA or MLB viewing party and definitely a perfect pairing for the sliders, wings, nachos and dips that go along with the show at this game-packed time of year.
THE POURS
Experiment with the wines made by these athletes, who represent some (though not all) of the all-stars in the grape game.
- Drew Bledsoe (Doubleback Wines)
- Yao Ming (Yao Family Wines)
- Danica Patrick (Somnium and Danica Rose)
- Dwyane Wade (D Wade Cellars) -Channing Frye (Chosen Family Wines)
- Charles Woodson (Intercept Wines)
- Mario Andretti (Andretti Winery)
- Chris Paul (La Fete Rose’)
THE PLATES
Given the broad range of the wines these legends make, you can go deep and wide on your pairings. All of the traditional game-day foods apply here, but following the simple guidance of pairings big wines with big flavors, or complementing big flavors on one side with something lighter, brighter and cleaner on the other, will keep you from drowning out any of the good eats and drinks you’re enjoying.
What’s The Score?
Offbeat Harvest Moon Party
Fall’s earthy and warming foods are a great match for red wine, but it’s time to swap out the usual suspects for some of the wine world’s most exciting (but largely under-the-radar) reds. Present your guests with the wine world’s insider picks from places like Croatia, Michigan, Patagonia and the country of Georgia, paired with quick seasonal plates that can be made in less than 20 minutes, to create the perfect Fall gathering.
THE POURS
- Saperavi, Khaketi region, Georgia
- Cabernet Franc, Old Mission or Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan
- Pinot Noir, Patagonia, Argentina
- Babić, Dalmatia, Croatia
- Tempranillo, Napa or Paso Robles, CA
- Pinotage, Swartland, South Africa
- Syrah, Sicily, Italy
THE PLATES
Though the wine styles and flavors vary, there are a few easy autumn/gut-warming foods that will be great with all of these. Think sweet potato fries, salad with fresh pomegranate, Sloppy Joe’s or beef brisket, a charcuterie plate with aged cheddars and fresh apples, butternut squash risotto.
Offbeat Harvest Moon Party
Bubbles & Burgers
Nothing makes for a tastier pairing than bright, bubbly wines and juicy (meat, turkey or veggie) burgers. Sparkling wines are made all over the world and in the most interesting places (Brazil or Tasmania anyone?) and this is your chance to check out the vast variety, flavors and stories the fizzy world offers alongside easy and exceptional burgers and sides with an equally interesting origin.
THE POURS
- Cremant D’Alsace, Alsace, France
- Franciacorta, Veneto, Italy
- Sekt, Mosel, Germany
- Sparkling wine, Vale dos Vinhedos, Brazil
- Champagne, Champagne, France
- Lambrusco, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
- Cava, Penedes, Spain -Sparkling wine, Tasmania
- Sparkling wine, Sussex, England
- Sparkling wine, California
THE PLATES
Burgers! Consider toppings and sides that will also bring out the best of the bubbles, like creamy brie or blue cheese, grilled onions, crisp bacon. And don’t forget the brioche bun, another nod to the flavors in many sparkling wines.
