This weekend, we hosted an outdoor picnic for family and some of our daughter's friends. This is new enough to all of us that at times we were mesmerized by the scene: laughing friends and family holding glasses of sangria or wine while the sun shined on the vines in the background. A baby and her mama swinging on our barrel stave swing. Everyone licking barbecue off their fingertips as they dined under the walnut trees.
Moments like this make us feel blessed to be the owners of Gantz Family Vineyards and to be able to share it with loved ones.
Many of our guests requested recipes for the appetizers, sides and sangria we chose to complement the wonderful barbecue from local caterer Steve Bergin of Black Bean BBQ. We figured we would include the links below so everyone could put together their own Sonoma County-inspired picnic.
From Sunset Magazine: White Peach Sangria and Ginger Marinated Shrimp (We marinated the shrimp in lime zest and juice, rather than grapefruit zest and juice as called for in the recipe.)
From Whole Living: Corn, Avocado and Cilantro and Spicy Seared Eggplant (Both these sides are great for an outdoor barbecue. You can make them ahead of time and serve them at room temperature. Wait to add the avocado to the corn until ready to serve.)