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In the Press

ST. CLAIR WINERY UNCORKS FOR CANCER SUPPORT

Cancer Support check presentation 2014
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

Recipes & Pairings

Shrimp and Pasta with White Sauce

Shrimp and Pasta pairs best with our DH Lescombes Chardonnay.

I dare you not to twirl your fork into this delicous, simple pasta dish!

pasta and shrimp pic

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.

Recipes & Pairings

Rosemary Grilled Flank Steak

Rosemary Grilled Flank Steak

sflank steak with wine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup St. Clair Cabernet Sauvignon wine
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 pounds flank steak
  • Rosemary sprigs
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Combine first 10 ingredients. Reserve 1/3 cup red wine mixture.
  2. 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.
  3. Remove flank steak from marinade, discarding marinade.
  4. 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.
In the Press

Lescombes Family Receives Grant to Promote Chile Wines, NM Jobs

Udall and Carrie Press Photo
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.

 

Awards

Judges in Sonoma-based Competition Confirm that New Mexico Wine is Outstanding

Southwest Wines’ 2007 D.H. Lescombes Limited Release Cabernet Franc was honored at the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition last month as one of only six wines given a best-of-the-best “Sweepstakes Award”. The Cabernet Franc won in the “Red Sweepstakes” category, making Southwest Wines the first New Mexico winery to win this coveted award. As a Sweepstakes winner, the Cabernet Franc will be among the wines showcased at the Annual Public Tasting, held at Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion in San Francisco, February 28, 2009.

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