Sunday supper with friends

During the year, Michael Chiarello and his wife, Eileen Gordon, enjoy sharing Sunday suppers with dear friends Larry Turley of Turley Wine Cellars and his wife, Suzanne Chambers.

During harvest season, Chiarello likes to create full-flavored menus that stand up to some of those famous Turley old-vine Zinfandels, giving a nostalgic nod to summer while anticipating the cool winter months to come.

His harvest feast starts with a refreshing Tomato Carpaccio with Arugula and Corn Salad, continues with a Butternut Squash Panzanella and concludes with the rib-sticking richness of Forever Cooked Pork.

“This is a menu that spans summer, fall and winter,” he says. “You spend more time in the shoulder seasons than any others.”

Every fall, Chiarello throws a huge harvest party in the vineyard for friends, including anyone who buys a case of Chiarello Family Vineyards wine. He sets up a 100-foot-long table in the vineyard, next to the swimming pool, and gives vineyard tours. “You can meet me and Eileen and taste the fruit before it’s harvested and be a part of it,” he said. “You can have a memory.”

In the fall, Chiarello said he loves to smell the aroma of the grapes fermenting, in the early morning and late evening.

“Because of the inversion layer, the air hangs low,” he says of the typical weather patterns at that time of year. “The morning smells are thick, and the last thing at night, you really get a concentration.”

After his fruit is picked, Chiarello likes to stroll through the vines, which can finally relax.

“You can feel the relief in the vineyard after it’s picked,” he says. “It’s like giving birth.”