New Year's Eve Celebrations

Looking for a perfect way to ring in 2025? We have 5 festive ideas that pair perfectly with CRU Wines!

 

Fondue Night

Break out the fondue pot for this cheesy event. Dip apples, fresh vegetables, bread, summer sausage and more in cheese fondue.

Expert pairing: CRU Winery SLH Chardonnay

 

Crab Feed

Spread newspaper on the table and break out the crab legs, butter and corn for a delicious evening.

Expert pairing: CRU Winery Sierra Madre Vineyard Chardonnay

 

Black Tie

Pull out all the stops and put on a Black Tie affair. Dress to the nines, decorate with black and gold accessories and put together a menu to remember, complete with bacon wrapped filet and caviar.

Expert pairing: CRU Winery Solomon Hills Vineyard Chardonnay & Pinot Noir 

 

Wine Tasting

Host a wine tasting for your friends and family! Select 4 different wines, we recommend a mix of red and white. Line the wines up lightest to heaviest for the best pairing experience. Want to make it even more memorable? Pour the wine in black glasses and have your guests guess the varietal.

Expert pairing: Highlight a variety of wines with different flavor profiles such as Sierra Madre Vineyard Pinot Gris, North Canyon Viognier, Sarmento Vineyard Chardonnay, Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir and Rancho Real Vineyard GSM.

 

Appetizers and Desserts

Why bother with the full meal? Just stick to appetizers and desserts! This celebration is even more fun when done as a potluck, have everyone bring one appetizer and one dessert and dig in.

Expert pairing: CRU Winery Regan Vineyards Pinot Noir

Brie and Goat Cheese Jam Bites

This easy and delicious appetizer is the perfect bite to pair with Grenache or Pinot Noir!

To draw out the earthy flavors of the wine, we used two savory jams, caramelized onion and bourbon bacon. These savory jams are available at most fine food stores.

Ingredients:

• 2 Sheets Puff Pastry
• Caramelized Onion Jam
• Bourbon Bacon Jam
• Goat Cheese, cut into small bites
• Brie Cheese, cut into small bites
• Phresh finishing salt

Directions:

1. Lay out defrosted puff pastry and cut into squares about 2" x 2".
2. Put puff pastry squares into mini muffin tin coated with non-stick cooking spray, pressing down slightly.
3. Press goat cheese into half of puff pastry squares.
4. Repeat with Brie cheese in other half of puff pastry squares.
5. Top with caramelized onion or bourbon bacon jam (we topped half with caramelized onion and half with bourbon bacon jam).
6. Bake at directions on puff pastry dough (we baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes).
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Phresh finishing salt.
8. Serve with CRU Winery Pinot Noir or Grenache.

Fall Grazing Table

Entertaining this fall? Check out this fall grazing table, it’s festive, delicious and will impress all your fall guests. We incorporated a few small fall details to really make it stand out. With savory and sweet elements, it’s perfect for pairing with CRŪ Winery Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Late Harvest Viognier.

Cheeses
We selected rich and savory cheeses for this fall board:
Caramelized Onion Cheddar, Beer Gouda (a semi soft cheese washed in beer), Brie topped with Blackberry Jam and Caramelized Onion Goat Cheese.

Meats
Prosciutto and Salami

Fruits
We chose seasonal fruits with big flavors.
Pears and Golden Berries.

Crackers
There’s a lot of big flavors on this board so we chose simple water crackers.

Accompaniments
Candied Pecans, Dried Cranberries, Fig Spread, Hot Honey.
We also added in maple cookies and seasonal chocolates for a sweet element.

Fall Elements
What really makes this board stand out are the festive fall elements. We carved a small pumpkin and used it to hold hot honey, used a pumpkin cookie cutter to cut a decorative element on the Brie, added pumpkin shaped Brie bites (see our reel on how to assemble these delicious bites) and chose leaf and pumpkin shaped sweets.

Jose's Winemaking Journey with Regan Vineyards

When it comes to his journey in winemaking, CRŪ winemaker Jose Reyes credits his introduction to the business to the historic Bargetto Winery and Regan Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As a young man, Jose used to pass the winery on his way to work and his passion for winemaking was ignited.

He met with the winery owner and began working at the winery the next day. A quick learner, Jose was incredibly hands-on working in the cellar, on the bottling line, harvesting and learning everything he could about crafting high quality Central Coast wines. During his time at Bargetto Winery, he had the opportunity to explore and make wines from Regan Vineyards and their famous Mt. Eden clone.

Jose moved on to work at other wineries but he often thought back to Regan Vineyards. Situated atop a hilly knoll in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Regan Vineyards receives cool breezes off the Monterey Bay and its hilltop setting delivers consistent sun exposure. These combine with unique soils and mountainous topography for wines rich in flavor with bright acidity.

“My very first introduction to wine was Regan Vineyards. After my first harvest I was hooked, and I knew I wanted to be a winemaker. Regan Vineyards has always been a vineyard I wanted to make wine from and I am excited to now craft CRŪ Winery Regan Vineyards Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Mt. Eden Clone." This is a great moment for me to honor my winemaking roots while sharing this amazing wine with our members.” Jose Reyes, CRŪ Winemaker.

 

All About Bien Nacido Vineyard

Located just miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Bien Nacido Vineyard is considered one of the finest vineyards in California receiving recognition worldwide for the stellar grapes it produces. In 2021, Food & Wine Magazine named it as one of “The 17 most important California vineyards,” Forbes Magazine hailed it a “Single Vineyard Superstar” and Wine Enthusiast included it in their list of the “10 Vineyards Behind the World’s Most Famous Wines.”

Part of what makes this vineyard so sought after is its unique topography and location. With its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the vineyard receives cold ocean air and fog for a cool growing season and boasts vineyard plantings on benchland, hillsides and flatlands leading to wines known for impressive layers of flavor. We are honored to be among a select few wineries who are producing wines from this famous vineyard.

All About Sierra Madre Vineyard

The Sierra Madre Vineyard is located just fifteen miles from the Pacific Ocean and is recognized as one of the finest cool climate vineyards in California. The proximity to the Pacific Ocean contributes a consistent maritime influence of wind and fog that combine with sandy soils. This combination leads to a long, cool growing season that results in fruit with concentrated and rich flavors.

Planted in 1971, the Sierra Madre Vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards in Santa Maria Valley. Over the years a variety of wineries have crafted wines from this prestigious vineyard including Au Bon Climat, Byron, Ken Brown and Paul Lato.

The vineyard was also owned for a period of time by Robert Mondavi, the father of California wine, who used the vineyard’s southern exposure and low yielding vines to create wines with depth and minerality. At CRŪ, we are fortunate to have partnered with the Sierra Madre Vineyard for over ten years and continue to be impressed by the quality of fruit we receive from this award-winning vineyard.