I have been putting together the menu for our Christmas party next week and have been researching and scouring my old recipes and looking for inspiration in my many cooking magazines. I came across an oldy but a goody that always impresses and wanted it to share it with you all.

Here is the link:

Cream of Mushroom Soup served in Baby Potatoes

If you are short on time just buy already made cream of mushroom soup and viola no one will know and be equally impressed.

This recipe is great because you can pair it with chardonnay (not to oaky, any of our chardonnays would work great) or a Pinot Noir (again all of our Pinot’s would be great, but I would say the Balletto would be the best).

For more Appetizer recipe and wine pairings check out our recipe page.

By the way if any of you are in town next week, we would love to see you at our Christmas Party, so please come!

Recently Andrea and I visited Iron Horse Vineyards located in the Green Valley appellation of the Russian River Valley here in Sonoma County. We were greeted by Winemaker David Munksgard and Corral Club Director Kevin Vanderhoff. Given a tour of the vineyards we settled on a beautiful knoll overlooking the winery to visit with David about his experiences making wine dating back to his college days at California State University, Fresno. I hope you enjoy the video as much as we did shooting it. While David’s demeanor is easy going, he and his team at Iron Horse are meticulous in all phases of making world-class Sparkling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The sweeping rolling hills of the 300 acre ranch (160 to vine), the outdoor tasting room (Shirley has been pouring wines since the seventies and is a great host) and the outstanding wines make Iron Horse a must visit on any winery tour. There is even a chance, on an occasional Friday, you will find David passing through the tasting room and he may take you on your own vineyard tour. An unforgettable experience!

See our Iron Horse wines here.