Party-worthy wine pairings perfect for easy entertaining
Red or white, sweet or dry, wine lovers are often entertainers at heart. When inviting guests to share your personal favorites, nothing enhances a tasting get-together quite like complementary snack and wine pairings.
The next time you find a wine party on your schedule, consider these simple yet delicious recommendations from sommelier and founder of “The Lush Life,” Sarah Tracey, who partnered with Fresh Cravings to create “Dips and Sips.” Aimed at reinventing wine and cheese parties, the movement focuses on simplistic recipes, easy dip pairings and suggested wines.
“When I entertain at home, I’m always looking for ways to impress my friends with fresh, creative bites I can pair with wine,” Tracey said. “My favorite hack is finding great products with high-quality ingredients then creating simple, elevated ways to serve them. The less time I spend in the kitchen, the more time I get to spend with my guests.”
Tracey relies on the versatility of Fresh Cravings’ array of dip options and crowd-pleasing, bold flavors worth celebrating. With authentic-tasting chilled salsas offering a vibrant alternative to soft, dull blends of jarred salsa and flavor-filled hummus made with premium ingredients like Chilean Virgin Olive Oil, these dips elevate both traditional and reinvented recipes.
For example, Tracey’s recipes for Polenta Rounds with Pico de Gallo Salsa and Crab, Spiced Butternut Squash Naan Flatbreads, Cheesy Tortilla Cutouts with Salsa and HummusStuffed Mushrooms offer flavorful, easy-to-make appetizers that can make entertaining easy and effortless. Plus, these crave-worthy morsels are just as tasty and approachable for guests choosing to skip the wine.
Find more recipe and pairing ideas perfect for enhancing your next party at FreshCravings.com.
Hummus-Stuffed Mushrooms
Recipe courtesy of Sarah Tracey
Total time: 15 minutes Servings: 6
Nonstick olive oil spray 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, stems removed and gills scooped out salt, to taste pepper, to taste 1 container Fresh Cravings Classic Hummus
1 jar manzanilla olives stuffed with pimientos, cut in half
1 jar roasted red pepper strips
Oregon Pinot Noir Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare sheet pan with nonstick olive oil spray.
Place mushroom caps on sheet pan, spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Roast 7-8 minutes then let mushrooms cool to room temperature.
Fill each mushroom cap with hummus and top each with one olive slice.
Thinly slice roasted red pepper strips and arrange around olive slices.
Pair with lighter bodied pinot noir with cherry tones from Oregon.