Sprinkle freshly ground pepper over both sides of each steak, and sprinkle with salt to taste.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place steaks in hot pan, and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add balsamic vinegar and red wine. Cover, and cook for 4 minutes on each side, basting with sauce when you turn the meat over.
Remove steaks to two warmed plates, spoon one tablespoon of glaze over each, and serve immediately. Pair with DH Lescombes Cabernet Sauvignon
Ingredients
1 cooked, bone-in half ham (about 7 to 8 lbs.)
15 whole cloves
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°. Cut off the tough, leatherlike skin from ham (if it has it; some hams will not), and score the fat in a crosshatch pattern. Stud ham all over with cloves, put in a large roasting pan, and loosely tent with foil. Bake until a thermometer inserted in center of thickest part (not touching the bone) registers 135°, about 20 minutes per lb. or 2 to 2 1/2 hours total, basting occasionally with any accumulated juices.
While ham is baking, make the glaze: In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, maple syrup, and mustard. Whisk until smooth. When ham has about 40 minutes left to bake (internal temperature will be 120° to 125°), brush generously on all sides with glaze. Continue baking until ham reaches 135° and glaze is well browned.
As you may have noticed, we love chocolate, and the way our Hatch Red Chile wine pairs so well with it makes it only natural to use in our traditional Molé recipe. Perfect for serving with chicken, pork, or in enchiladas.
INGREDIENTS
• 5 Dried Pasilla or Ancho Chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 6 inch Corn Tortillas, or handful of regular corn tortilla chips
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1-1/2 Medium Onions, chopped
• Kosher salt
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1-3/4 c Hatch Red Chile Wine
• 3 tbsp Chicken Bullion
• 1 3.1oz Mexican Chocolate Disc (such as Ibarra, Abuelita or Taza)
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
PREPARATION
Rehydrate dried chiles by soaking them in 1-1/2 cups hot water for 15 minutes and drain and set aside.
Toast corn tortillas in a dry skillet until dry, crisp and golden.
Heat oil in the same skillet over medium heat.
Add onions, season with salt and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes, then transfer into a blender along with the chiles, tortillas, peanut butter and oregano.
Mix the chicken bullion and Hatch Red Chile Wine and add to blender and blend with other ingredients until very smooth.
Transfer sauce into a medium saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in chocolate and once melted, season as desired with salt and pepper.
Use this sauce with shredded or quartered chicken, pork loin, or in enchiladas.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and don’t forget the Hatch Red Chile Wine!
It’s that time of the year again, when we remember what we’re thankful for. Here at GAYOT, we are most certainly thankful for great American wine. Our Top 10 Thanksgiving Wines hail from eight states — California to Colorado, New Mexico to New York — and come in a variety of styles. These exceptional wines showcase both the diversity of the American wine-growing culture and the impressive offerings that can be found the nation over. Best of all, the wines we have selected all pair wonderfully with different parts of the Thanksgiving meal. So give yourself a little more room on your belt and get ready to find the perfect bottle for everyone’s favorite November holiday.
SWEET
St. Clair Winery NV Gewürztraminer
New Mexico
St. Clair winery is now operated by the sixth generation of French winemakers who originally ran Domaine de Perignon in Burgundy. The family began planting in New Mexico in 1981, and the winery has continued to grow ever since. The bouquet of their non-vintage Gewürztraminer displays aromas of lemon, honey and floral notes, with a sweet palate full of cinnamon, pear melon and more honey. It is the perfect companion to Thanksgiving dessert, with its flavors helping to bolster pumpkin pie or ambrosia salad.
LAS CRUCES SUN-NEWS >> It was in 1629 when a pair of monks first planted vines in New Mexico to tease out the sweet nectar and produce wine in what was then a simple, Spanish colony. The men of the cloth started the first vineyard in North America and marked the Land of Enchantment as the first wine-growing region in the new world.
The first grapevines planted in what is now the state of New Mexico were brought to Senecu, a Piro Indian pueblo south of Socorro, by Fray Gracia de Zuniga, a Franciscan, and Antonio de Arteaga, a Capuchin monk. San Antonio de Padua Mission, at Senecu, was located on the east bank of the Rio Grande, slightly north of the present small village of San Antonio. The cuttings brought by the missionaries were a variety of Vitis vinifera, commonly called the “mission grape.” This variety is still grown in New Mexico today. Historians think it is a European variety from Spain, called Monica.
By comparison, St. Clair Winery may seem to be a newcomer, boasting a mere 30 years trimming the vines, pressing the grapes and waiting, patiently, for the fruit to ferment to make a statewide staple.
But don’t, for a heady moment, think the New Mexico vineyard, winery and bistros that comprise the St. Clair brand haven’t made the most of toasting one of the state’s signature agricultural crops and one of our favorite refreshments.
“We are passionate about growing grapes in New Mexico,” said Hervé Lescombes, the owner and patriarch of the winemaking family that traces it’s roots in the business back many generations. “We feel that the citizens of New Mexico are one of the reasons for our success and we want to give back to them. The way we celebrate with our family is with great food and wine — we want to share that with our customers and guests.”
Carlos Javier Sanchez Sun-News Molly Martin interacts with a costumer at St. Clair Winery in Las Cruces on Tuesday, November 11, 2014.
The senior Lescombes is the fifth generation winemaker of the Lescombes family. His grandparents, originally from Prussia, immigrated to Algeria in 1846 and made a living by operating vineyards and making wine to sell to France. Hervé and his brother followed the family tradition and became grape farmers in Burgundy, France in 1962. It was there where he met his wife, Danielle, had three children and built a successful vineyard and winery business.
He saw great opportunity in southwest New Mexico, and made the area his family’s home. The climate and terrain is similar to that of his native Algeria. In 1981, Hervé began his venture with a small vineyard that produced the harvest that would eventually be crafted into his first New Mexico vintage in 1984. The small operation soon expanded and grew to become the largest winery in New Mexico. Winemaking duties have since been turned over to Hervé’s son Florent Lescombes, who oversees the winery operations, while his oldest son, Emmanuel Lescombes, manages the vineyard.
“New Mexicans have been talking to us for years about our wine,” Florent Lescombes said. “We do our best to listen, give them what they want and in turn we make better wine and have become a better business. It’s time for us to appreciate them.”
“Cheers to another 30 years,” added Emmanuel Lescombes.
The label now boasts several locations in addition to the Las Cruces bistro at 1720 Avenida de Mesilla. The first Las Cruces bistro opened in 2007 before moving to the current location in 2012. The Albuquerque bistro opened in 2005 and another in Farmington opened in 2009. They join the original vineyard in Lordsburg and the winery and tasting room in Deming.
Squeezing the nectar from the grape was not always easy in the Land of Enchantment.
The Rio Grande and the weather were formidable adversaries of the early New Mexico vineyards. By the turn of the century, the Rio Grande had deposited enough sediment along its bed to elevate the channel above the surrounding terrain. Floods occurred frequently and the groundwater reached the surface of the soil, converting once fertile land into a swamp. Grapevines developed root-rot, and alkaline deposits coated the vines, lowering yields.
From a high of almost a million gallons a year, wine production fell to 296,000 gallons in 1890, 34,208 in 1900, and 1,684 in 1910.
The rebirth of the New Mexico wine industry began in 1978, said St. Clair spokeswoman Lori Paulson. New Mexico now has 42 wineries and tasting rooms, producing almost 700,000 gallons of wine a year. The state’s wine industry is once again well established.
To celebrate their 30th anniversary, St. Clair has bottled a commemorative wine called La Clairette. It is a throwback to one of the winery’s first bottles that was released at the grand opening.
They are also offering rewards for shoppers who purchase St. Clair at any one of the many statewide retailers.
Carlos Javier Sanchez Sun-News Sheila Robinson takes a food order from a costumer at St. Clair Winery in Las Cruces on Tuesday, November 11, 2014.
And, through the month of November, the winery will be offering one-day offers on their Facebook pages and website, with 30 percent discounts on specially selected items, treats from St Clair Winery & Bistro, and other surprises.
Times have changed since the first issue of Las Cruces’ first newspaper, the Rio Grande Republican — now the Las Cruces Sun-News — which reported in May 1881: “The Mesilla Valley grape has no equal in the world and wine growing is the principle industry of the people. It seems unreasonable, but it is nevertheless true that every five acres of land in this whole valley, if put into grapes, is capable of supporting handsomely a family of five persons. The product is already famous under the name of El Paso or “native” wine. The population of Las Cruces was about 2,000 then, augmented by about a hundred families in Mesilla and Mesilla Park. The largest cash crop in the Mesilla Valley was grapes. Wells Fargo carried almost a half-million baskets of grapes at $10 each in 1894 with two hundred casks of wine per week.”
The quantity may have changed, but the quality remains and, like any fine bottle, grows better with age.
Photo courtesy Daniel Gonzales/St. Clair Winery. Pictured are St. Clair Winery Tasting Room Staff presenting this year’s donation to the Cancer Support of Deming & Luna County Board Members. Bottom Row L to R: Ray Trejo, Margaret Alvarez, Elly Read, Cindy Broadbeck, Tanya Varela, Joanna Costilla, Molly Glover, Michelle Mooradian, and Alicia Hernandez. Top Row L to R: Matthew Robinson, Eleazandra Otero, Laura Robinson, Cynthia Ochoa, Don Hill, Skip Sherman, and Connie Hayes
St. Clair Winery of Deming, NM, the state’s largest winery, held their annual St. Clair Winefest in early October, with proceeds benefitting Deming & Luna County Cancer Support for the fourth year in a row. The local non-profit provides a variety of support to cancer patients in the community. They also provide outreach services for general education, early detection, screening programs and general cancer awareness.
“We provide transportation assistance to cancer patients within Deming and Luna County” explains Patient Advocate, Joanna Costilla. “We have vans that we offer to transport patients to and from out-of-town appointments at no charge. We also have a voucher program that can also help defray the cost of gas for qualifying patients who drive themselves.”
They also have a fully-stocked cancer resource library full of useful information on things like how to quit smoking with vapes fitted with delta 8 cartridges, and provide caps, wigs and prosthesis to many patients, free of charge. They also work as patient advocates, helping with billing negotiation for their clients.
“This is such an important program for our community as a whole,” Costilla said. “This year’s event was great! We signed up 2 new patients during the event. We would like to use a portion of the funds to purchase smocks and pillows for cancer patients. We currently have 175 active patients, and we want to do anything we can to help.”
The Winefest is themed with pink ribbons and decorations throughout their grounds and inside the wine-tasting room. A large portion of the fundraising stemmed from the Silent Auction, which is full of donated items from regional businesses, including St. Clair, all teaming up to support the cause. There will also be various awareness items on sale that will also go towards the fundraising efforts, you can expect to see items such as pink ribbon pins, as well as wristbands that have been designed with cancer awareness in mind, such as the products you can see on a website similar to SleekWristbands.com. All proceeds from donated and awareness items will be put forward as the official total raised.
“I am proud to be a part of the St. Clair Winery Team.” explains St. Clair Tasting Room Manager, Elly Read. “We are very supportive of this wonderful organization that does so much for the community. Being a cancer survivor myself, I know firsthand how supportive they are. I was overwhelmed with the attendance for this event and I hope it continues to grow year after year.”
This year’s Winefest donation was $2,665, which Elly credits to both attendance and silent auction donations.
Deming & Luna County Cancer Support can be reached at (575) 546-4780
Shrimp and Pasta pairs best with our DH Lescombes Chardonnay.
I dare you not to twirl your fork into this delicous, simple pasta dish!
Serves 4
1 pound cooked medium shrimp (70-110 per pound)
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 pound linguine or other long pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup DH Lescombes Chardonnay
2 medium (about 1/2-pound) Roma or San Marzano tomatoes, sliced lengthwise through the stem
Basil leaves to garnish (optional)
Remove the shrimp and heavy cream from the refrigerator and place on the counter to allow them to come to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Bring the water to a boil in a large (5- to 6-quart) pasta pot over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add the sea salt, stir to dissolve, then add the pasta. Bring back up to a rolling boil, lower heat to medium-high, and let cook until al dente, about 7 minutes or according to package instructions.
Ladle a cup of pasta water into a measuring cup and set aside, then drain the pasta into a colander.
While the pasta is boiling, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and sea salt to the skillet, and sauté until soft and translucent, but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine to the skillet and stir.
Using a box grater or flat grater, grate the tomatoes, flesh side against the grater, directly into the skillet. The tomato flesh will be grated, but the skins will not. Discard the skins.
Stir the tomatoes into the skillet sauce and bring up to a simmer. Cook until the sauce has thickened slightly and no raw alcohol aroma remains, about 5 minutes. Add the drained pasta, shrimp, and cream to the skillet, and toss to combine. If the sauce is too dry, add a splash of pasta water.
Use a pasta server or tongs to arrange the pasta in individual servings, twirling it into a spiral as you nestle it onto the center of each plate. Garnish with basil and serve immediately.
Combine first 10 ingredients. Reserve 1/3 cup red wine mixture.
Place flank steak in a large shallow dish or a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Pour red wine mixture over steak. Cover or seal, and chill 2 to 4 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove flank steak from marinade, discarding marinade.
Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) for 8 to 10 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness, brushing with reserved wine mixture using rosemary sprigs. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin strips. Squeeze juice over steak before serving.
Senator Udall asks Production Manager Carrie Gurule questions about the grape harvest during his visit to St. Clair Winery
Lescombes Family Receives Grant to Promote Chile Wines, NM Jobs
(Deming, NM) – U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development, visited St. Clair Winery in Deming on Thursday and announced a $50,000 grant to help expand production of the winery’s unique Hatch chile-infused wines and promote New Mexico’s agricultural industry.
Florent Lescombes, Vice President of St. Clair Winery, the family-owned company that produces Hatch Chile Wines, said that the popularity of the spicy wines along with the growth in the company’s full range of fine wine varieties has been a vital economic driver for Luna County and the State of New Mexico. “We use the best Hatch Valley red and green chile to make these wines, and bottle them here at our winery in Deming,” Lescombes said.
The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agricultures Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant program, which helps agricultural producers like St. Clair Winery grow their businesses and support economic growth and development in rural communities.
St. Clair Winery is a division of Lescombes Family Vineyards, which offers wine under several labels, including DH Lescombes, St. Clair, Blue Teal Vineyards, and several specialty wines—including Hatch Chile Wines. Although all of the wine is produced in Deming, New Mexico, it’s also available in many New Mexico locations. Many of the wines are now sold nationally and are also available online at www.stclairwinery.com. You can also find out more about Hatch Chile Wines at www.hatchchilewines.com.
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