Wine and Creamy Roasted Mushroom Soup

I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I like wine. And I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I like Santa Barbara County wine. So….

Remember awhile back when I did a guest recipe post for Andrew Murray Vineyards and almost passed out with excitement? Well, today I am again very excited to share another Santa Barbara wine with you. Allow me to introduce you to Cimarone and 3CV Estate Wines, where Andrew Murray now happens to be the winemaker. Let me just put this out there: If you see a wine that’s made by Andrew Murray, do yourself a favor and buy it…that concludes my public service announcement for the day.

Cimarone is located in the Happy Canyon AVA of Santa Barbara and currently has two labels: Cimarone and 3CV. Since the tasting room is not yet open, I was thrilled to get my hands on some of these wines and have been guzzling sampling them while experimenting with some recipes.

One wine in particular shocked me, and in the best way possible. I was in the middle of making roasted mushroom soup and thought it could use a splash of red wine, because really, what dish couldn’t benefit from a splash of wine? So I headed to the wine fridge and pulled out a bottle of Cimarone without doing any research as to what I was actually opening. Into the soup it went, and then into a glass for me. Turns out I had opened a 2009 Cilla’s Blend (made by winemaker Doug Margerum, another winemaker you should get to know). Let me tell you…this wine, a blend of Cabernet and Syrah, knocked my socks off. I would have guessed it to be one of their more expensive wines, so imagine my surprise when I saw the price tag was under $20!

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for Cimarone to open their tasting room doors, but I will happily belly up to that tasting bar when they do. For now, there is limited distribution of these wines (although they do ship anywhere in California), but if you happen to live in the Santa Barbara or Southern California area, you might be lucky enough to find them. And if you find Cilla’s Blend, feel free to send me a bottle or two.

And that mushroom soup recipe? You’ll have to head over to the Cimarone website and check it out there. Click here to see my Creamy Roasted Mushroom Soup recipe.

This soup does not come together in minutes, but the active cooking time is small. The time spent roasting mushrooms, caramelizing shallots, and cooking leeks in butter is well worth it. Each ingredient’s flavors are maximized and the resulting soup is full of deep, rich components. Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy a bowl.

Disclosure: While Cimarone and 3CV Estate Wines provided me with complimentary wine, I was not compensated monetarily in any way. All opinions are my own.