Watch Summer Grape to Glass with Mari & Dan

It’s summertime and the living is easy. To help us celebrate the season, we’re heading to our winery in Napa Valley, where our Head Winemaker, Mari, and Estate Operations & Test Kitchen Manager, Dan Gora, are cooking up tons of delectable bites for summer—and pairing them with all the best wine!

Watch this season’s Grape to Glass to see the magic unfold. And make sure to follow along with this webisode’s recipes below!

Summer Skewers

Makes 10-12 skewers

Active Time: 50 minutes

Inactive Time: 1 hour 

Wine Pairing: Vintner Red Blend

Skewer building is a very fun and interactive way to bring people together in the kitchen. This is a healthy and crowd pleasing dish that we find both kids and adults love to get in the kitchen to assemble. The best thing about this recipe is that it’s completely adaptable. We love to mix up the meats, marinades, and produce we have on hand to make up endless tasty combinations. The roasted flavors in the meats and vegetables really bring out all of the fruit notes in our award winning and 96 point Vintner Red Blend. For those who don’t own a backyard barbecue OR simply want to make these in the dead of winter with some winter produce—these can be done indoors just as easily with a stovetop grill pan or skillet.

Ingredients:

Cut all ingredients below into 1 inch cubes / slices:

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 ½ cups oil & vinegar salad dressing / marinade
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow zucchini
• ½ red onion
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms (about 12)
• ½ pineapple

Assembly Instructions:

1. Set chicken in a medium sized bowl with the dressing and let sit for at least an hour (6 hours or up to overnight is even better). Remove from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before it hits the grill.
2. Assemble skewers alternating chicken and vegetables. 
3. Set skewers on a hot grill and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes, rotating throughout to cook evenly. 

Footnote:

Purchasing the perfect amount of produce for exact skewer assembly with no food waste can be a bit of a challenge. Have extra bits of veggies leftover after assembling? Skewer and grill them up anyway and save them for tasty toppings on salads for the week to come!

Prosciutto e Melone

Serves: 12-16

Time: 25 minutes

Wine Pairing: Vintner Pinot Grigio

This classic Italian dish is wonderfully simple and abundantly flavorful. It’s traditionally made with just the two ingredients in the title, but we’ve added some balsamic glaze and sea salt to compliment this quintessential summer favorite. Serve this vibrant appetizer with an ice cold glass of our Vintner Pinot Grigio. The natural sweetness of the melon matches the stonefruit and melon flavor profile of this dry wine. And the salty prosciutto balances out this perfect pairing.

Ingredients:

• 1 cantaloupe, skin removed and sliced into wedges
• 12-16 thin slices prosciutto
• Balsamic glaze 
• Maldon sea salt

Instructions:

1. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around each slice of melon, and set on a serving tray. 
2. Drizzle balsamic glaze over top and finish with a sprinkle of sea salt.

Blackberry & Prosciutto Panini

Makes 4 paninis

Time: 30 minutes

Wine Pairing: Frizzante Red Wine

One of our favorite bakeries here in Napa, Model Bakery, makes the most incredible Pain au Levain. It has the perfect balance of a thick crunchy artisanal bread crust with an incredibly soft and chewy inside. We use this anytime we can get our hands on a loaf, but both sourdough and whole wheat work great for this recipe as well.

This panini pairs great with our new Frizzante Red Wine for a number of reasons. The wild berry flavors in the wine from the blend of eclectic reds match the flavor of the blackberry jam. The saltiness from the prosciutto is a wonderful contrast to the bubbles in the wine and finally, the creamy cheese balances out the acidity in the wine. 

Ingredients:

• 8 slices Pain Au Levain or bread of choice
• 8 tbsp. goat cheese
• 4 slices prosciutto
• 4 slices white cheddar cheese
• 4 tbsp. blackberry jam
• 2 tbsp. salted butter

Instructions: 

1. Layer the panini fillings on a slice of bread in this order from bottom to top: 2 tbsp. goat cheese, 1 slice of white cheddar cheese, 1 slice of prosciutto, and drizzle 1 tbsp. of blackberry jam. Top with the second slice of bread.
2.  Place a nonstick skillet or frying pan over low / medium heat on the stove, melt butter in the pan, and place paninis in the pan. Cover with a lid or piece of foil, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Ready to craft your own version of Dan’s creations? Pick up the ingredients—and Mari’s wine pairings!—and get ready to throw the ultimate summer soirée. 

Remember, when you shop these wines, ONEHOPE will donate 10% of your order to a nonprofit of your choice. Choose a cause and purchase with purpose.

Cheers!

The ONEHOPE Team

The post Watch Summer Grape to Glass with Mari & Dan appeared first on ONEHOPE Blog.