spring dinner table place setting with cherry blossoms

Spring Dinner Party Menu with Wine Country Recipes

Spring in Sonoma County delivers a burst of color—mustard fields bloom and wildflowers grow as tender green grape buds make their first appearances on the vines. It’s the start of the season of celebration in wine country, when dinners, art openings, and winery open houses load the calendar. We love throwing spring dinner parties with menus featuring the freshest produce of the season. Throw your own celebration with this delicious spring dinner party menu to bring a wine country twist to your Easter dinner table and other meals this season.

Recipes for Your Spring Dinner Party

Our dinner party recipes draw on the abundance of seasonal produce available in the spring, starting with a light spring salad and ending with a refreshing spring dessert featuring the last of the Meyer lemons as well as fresh lemon verbena from the garden.

Spring Salad Recipe with Fava Beans and Edible Flowers Blossoms
This sweet, tangy salad is the perfect appetizer for your spring dinner party.

Spring Appetizer Idea: Fava Bean and Fruit Blossom Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

You know spring has sprung on the Jordan Estate when our fruit trees and fava bean vines blossom. This delicious spring salad incorporates beautiful flowers along with tender fava beans and a tangy citrus vinaigrette. If you can’t find fava blossoms, don’t fret; you can substitute them with edible flowers like violets or nasturtiums. Jordan 2015 Chardonnay is the perfect pairing for this refreshing, seasonal salad.

sand dabs fish with mushrooms recipe
Make your spring dinner party menu memorable with this culinary treasure.

Spring Dinner Party First Course: Grilled Sand Dabs with Braised with Morels and Cipollini Onions

Sand dabs are a Northern California culinary treasure. The delicate fish, which is a member of the flounder family, is perfect for sauteing or grilling. If you can’t find sand dabs where you are, substitute sole or flounder. This seasonal recipe balances the acidity of lemon juice, richness of butter, and the earthiness of morels. Sweet Cipollini onions brighten the dish and grilling adds a hint of smoke. Pair with Jordan 2015 Chardonnay or Jordan 2012 Chardonnay.

spring lamb with peas recipe
Lamb is a staple in Sonoma County, especially during spring.

Spring Dinner Party Main Course: Sonoma Lamb with Spring Peas

Sonoma County produces some of the finest lamb in the world, and it’s a staple on spring dinner party menus here. This recipe pairs the flavorful meat with fresh spring peas. Pair it with Jordan 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon or Jordan 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Meyer lemon ice cream
The tart citrus in this homemade ice cream contrasts with the cream and sugar.

Spring Dessert: Meyer Lemon and Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

Spring marks the tail end of the Meyer lemon season, when the last of the sweet-tart fruit falls from the trees for the year. This ice cream, paired with fresh lemon verbena from the herb garden, delivers sweet, refreshing, lemony flavor as a perfect ending to our spring dinner party menu.

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About the Author

As one of eight children, Nitsa Knoll doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t helping host parties for her Greek family in Southern California. She naturally gravitated toward planning beautiful events with bold colors and flowers as focal points. Today, she spends her days overseeing events and hospitality at Jordan Winery, where she works alongside her husband, Todd Knoll. With an eye for design, her creative mind is constantly at work, planning the next dinner party or designing a new floral arrangement. She finds constant inspiration from the trees and flowers growing at Jordan Estate and throughout Sonoma County.

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