Our friends at Wineries of Niagara-On-The-Lake have put together some lovely wines for autumn along with delicious and easy to make food pairings.

Reif Estate 

Reif Estate Winery's newly released 2015 River Road Cabernet is the perfect wine for fall with rich aromas of red and blackberry fruit. On the palate, raspberries, cherries, sweet black berry fruit and a touch of cassis with subtle spice notes.
$14.95 LCBO# 457390

Riesling is the perfect food wine - fresh aromas of peach and pear and apple and lemon citrus and a light sweetness of fruit with a refreshing solid spine of acidity. For Thanksgiving, let the wine share center stage and pair with glazed ham and turkey or enjoy at the beginning of the meal with a squash soup starter.
$13.75 LCBO# 111799

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Ingredients
8 lbs whole butternut squash
1 tsp ground nutmeg salt and pepper to taste
8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 large apples peeled, cored and diced
1 cup apple cider
Salt and pepper to taste
Two large chopped onions
4 tablespoons of butter

Method
Cut squash in half length-wise and remove seeds.
Place cut side down on roasting pan.
Roast in 400 degree oven until tender.
Scoop out roasted squash and set aside.
In a large pot, sauté all other ingredients until lightly brown over medium heat (about 5 minutes).
Add the roasted squash.
Bring to a boil until apples are cooked. Purée and thin down if necessary with more cider or broth.
 

Pondview Estate 

2013 Bella Terra Chardonnay
Tasting Notes:  This full bodied wine has sweet aromas of ripe pineapple, spiced nuts and a hint of butterscotch. 
A rich coating of vanilla cream is enhanced by a spark of spice and a splash of zesty citrus mid-palate on the finish. Think creamy for pairing – pasta, risotto, lobster – delicious!

2013 Bella Terra Pinot Gris
Tasting Notes: Eleven months in neutral French oak has developed a delicate golden hue with gentle aroma of citrus, white peaches and chamomile. Creamy lemon curd, pineapple and peaches grace the palate finishing with a light citrus zest. Excellent with butter chicken.

Stuffed chicken recipe

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless breasts
Small package of whole spinach leaves (at least 12 large leaves)
Small tube of soft goat cheese
Small package of blue cheese
Mayonnaise
1 ½ cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Butterfly the chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Place 3 – 4 large leaves of spinach to cover open chicken breast.
In the centre, put 1 tablespoon of goat cheese and one tablespoon of blue cheese. Fold the chicken over and roll the breast ensuring the meat covers all of the cheese. You can tie with kitchen twine or use skewers to keep together while cooking if desired.
Coat completely with mayonnaise. Toss bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together and then cover chicken breast completely with crumbs.
Arrange on a lightly oiled pan and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 40 mins or till chicken is cooked (165 F internally) and is golden brown on the outside.

Château des Charmes

2015 Rosé
We dedicate this delightful Rosé to Madame Andrée Bosc – wife, mother and winery matriarch. We wanted to make a wine with as much joie de vivre as Madame. The vibrant pink certainly makes a statement. We were able to extract this colour by using only fully ripe grapes and by allowing an overnight cold soak to bleed out the colour from the skins. This is the old school way to make a crisp, dry Rosé. On the nose the aromas will remind you of fresh strawberries and cranberries. On the palate it is fresh and lively. 

2014 Chardonnay
Chardonnay is still one of the most popular white varieties in the world. It may have to do with how versatile it can be; you can have unoaked, lightly oaked and full-on, no-holds barred woody Chardonnay. We believe that if you are going to oak-age any wine it should be done judiciously so the fruit notes can still come through and this is a terrific example of that approach. This Chardonnay was barrel fermented with extended lees contact and aged for about nine months in the same French oak barrels. It has a creamy, buttery texture with melon and pear flavours. The wine is quite rich and can develop in the bottle for a few years.

Mini Turkey and Cranberry Pies

Ingredients
500g package of shortcrust pastry
Plain flour, for dusting
9 oz of shredded turkey
8 tablespoons of crème fraîche
8 teaspoons of cranberry sauce
1 egg, beaten

Directions
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface so that it is as thin as a loonie. 
Cut out 8 x 10cm circles using a pastry cutter, then cut 8 x 9cm circles for the lids.
Push the larger circles into 8 holes of a muffin tin, then divide the turkey, cream and cranberry sauce between them. 
Season well and brush the edges with egg. Place a lid on top of each and pinch the sides together to seal. 
Chill for 15-20 mins.
Heat oven to 375°F. Brush the tops with more egg, then bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.