By Laina Carter of McGrail Vineyards

While our Shamus Patrick Red Blend is always a delicious blend of all five of the red Bordeaux varietals, the composition changes every year. The most recent vintage of our Shamus Patrick Red Blend contains 20% each of our Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Since past vintages of our Shamus have been more Cab-heavy, the 2018 vintage certainly contains more earthy notes than most others.

With that said, there are many fall foods that pair well with the blend. Mushrooms, which are super underrated in my opinion, bring out the richest, most flavorful layers of this complex wine. Not only do they perfectly complement the earthiness of the Shamus, they also bring a certain warmth to the palate that allows the baking spice and fruit notes in the wine truly shine. Alternatively, the risotto also has a creamy component to it that allows it to pair with the notes of creamy butter in our Charlie Rae Chardonnay just as well. Either way, this mushroom truffle risotto is a great dish for the colder autumn and winter months. I could imagine this pairing being great for Christmas dinner or on any cold winter night. I hope you’ll try this one out for yourself!

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Mushroom Truffle Risotto

Makes about 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup Chardonnay
• 3/4 cup crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
• 3 drops truffle oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp. chives, chopped thinly

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium pot, heat one tablespoon olive oil on medium-low.
2. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, making sure not to brown the onion. Add rice and toss to coat in olive oil. Continue to cook on medium-low and toast the rice, stirring attentively.
3. Add Chardonnay and stir. Allow Chardonnay to be absorbed entirely.
4. While the Chardonnay is being absorbed into the rice, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a small pan on medium. Cook mushrooms until soft, then remove from heat and set aside.
5. Add one cup chicken broth to the rice and allow it to be absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally. Once the first half of chicken broth has been absorbed, add remaining chicken broth and condensed cream of mushroom soup. Stir well. Allow the rest of the chicken broth to be absorbed into the rice, stirring occasionally.
6. Once all the chicken broth has been absorbed into the rice, add your cooked mushrooms, butter, truffle oil, and parmesan. Stir well.
7. Plate your risotto and garnish with chives.
8. Enjoy this delicious risotto with a glass of our Shamus Patrick Red Blend or our Charlie Rae Chardonnay!

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Please let us know if you end up making this tasty mushroom truffle risotto pairing and if you have any feedback! We’d love to hear it.

Cheers and enjoy!