The holidays are rapidly approaching! And with these upcoming parties and family gatherings, I’m looking for the perfect wine pairing for my families favorite holiday dish. I really like to plan ahead so when our family had our annual December potluck, I made my favorite holiday dish of corn casserole. But what wine do I serve with it? Well, Wente wine of course!

I’ve been familar with Wente Vineyards for years. It’s located in the Livermore Valley, about 45 miles east of San Francisco. My father’s side of the family emigrated from Italy right about the same time the Wente family started their winery. My family built a ranch across the valley from the winery, so Wente wines have been on our family’s dinner-table for years.

Now run by the fifth generation of the Wente family, they continue to stay committed to making wine the way it should be. And that wine was perfect for our family dinner.

Wente Vineyards is more then just a winery. They have an 18-hole championship golf course designed by none other then Greg Norman. They also have a gourmet restaurant an amazing concert venue and a tasting room where you can enjoy all the goodness that is grown in the Livermore Valley.  I checked out the dinner menu and almost hopped on a plane!

A memorable dinner party comes down to the details, like presentation and the perfect wine pairing. For this dinner, I brought a bottle of Wente Cabernet and the Chardonnay. We love getting together as a family and each member bought their own unique dish to the table. We prefer to do this “buffet style” so we can spend more time together and less time in the kitchen. When everything is organized and ready to go you can gather around the table and enjoy each other’s company.

My corn casserole recipe hs become a favorite. It’s easy peasy, just put it all in the slow cooker and let it do the work. Can’t go wrong with that can we?

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Slow Cooker Creamy Corn Casserole

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Ingredients

• 24oz frozen corn
• 22oz low fat cream cheese ((apron 1 1/2 package))
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 2 stalks green onion (slice thin)
• 5oz white button mushrooms (sliced)
• 7 pieces thick cut bacon (most of the fat cut off and chopped)
• 2-4 cloves garlic (crushed)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 bunch spinach leaves (chopped)

Directions

Step 1

Place all ingredients except the spinach into a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Turn to high and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Step 2

Turn the heat to low and cook two hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3

Add the spinach leaves and cook on low for an additional hour. Serve hot.

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The Cab went well with the ham however we also enjoyed the Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Chardonnay since it also paired well with the corn casserole. It is a nice complex wine with notes of vanilla and spice combined with depth  of fruit. Both the Cab and the Chardonnay will make a lovely hostess gift for your next holiday party. (hint, hint dear family).