• 3 cups St. Clement Washington Merlot
• 3/4 cup sugar
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (remove seeds)
• 6 peppercorns
• 1 clove
• 2 lb. pears, peeled, cored, sliced, whole or halved

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Varietal:Merlot

Appellation:California, Napa

Style:Red

WOW Rating:93

Vine Cliff Winery has arisen to beautiful restoration in the past two decades by the Sweeney family, sensitive to the site’s 1871 roots.
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Steamed basmati rice and sauteed chayote or cucumber slices make ideal accompaniments to this dish.

• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Two 10-ounce pork tenderloins, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1 1/4-inch medallions
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup St. Clement Merlot
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour Lime wedges, for serving

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• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 T sesame oil
• 1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 c. soy sauce
• 1/3 c. Sherry vinegar (available at specialty food shops)
• 4 Scallions, chopped
• 1 Gingerroot (2″ length), peeled and chopped
• 6 Garlic cloves
• 5 T fresh lemon or lime juice
• 1 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 Flank steak (2-lbs.)
• 1 c. St. Clement Merlot

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• 1/2 cup Dijon-style mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 leg of lamb (5-6 lbs)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground rosemary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Watercress & mint for garnish

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Steamed basmati rice and sauteed chayote or cucumber slices make ideal accompaniments to this dish.

• 3 lb. Boneless Lamb (shoulder) cut into 2″ cubes
• 6 Tbs. Flour
• 4 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 Tsp. Pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 Tbs. Fresh Rosemary, chopped fine
• 3 Sage Leaves
• 3/4 Cup Basic Brown Stock
• 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 6 Anchovy Fillets (soak in 2 Tbs. milk first, pat dry)
• 1/4 Cup St. Clement Merlot

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• 1 Tbl Olive Oil
• 8 oz Kielbasa Sausage, cut into 1/2 diagonal slices
• 4 lean boneless pork chops
• 2 large onions, sliced (approx. 2 1/2 cups)
• 4 to 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/2 bottle of St. Clement Napa Valley Merlot
• 5 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 tsp dried rosemary leaves
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 15 oz cans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Salt, to taste

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This rich beef stew is an ideal winter meal when served over polenta and joined with a glass of hearty St. Clement Napa Valley Merlot.

• 3 Tbl. Olive Oil
• 3 lbs. Beef (top sirloin) cut into small cubes
• 1 lg. onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch cinnamon
• Fresh pepper
• Oregano
• 1 C St. Clement Merlot
• 16 oz beef stock
• 1 28 oz (can) plum tomatoes cut into large pieces
• 1/2 C chopped Nicoise olive or Kalamata sliced
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary removed from stem and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced

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• 1 pound orecchiette (little ear) pasta
• 1/2 pound pancetta, diced
• 1/2 red cabbage, julienned
• 1/2 savoy cabbage, julienned
• 1/2 napa cabbage, julienned
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup St. Clement 99 Merlot
• 1/2 pound fontina, cut in small cubes
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

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Restaurant Servers’ Damn Guide to Serving Wine
Yea, this is for the readers who work in a restaurant and have had a question about proper wine service. It is definitely one of the service issues that can be pushed aside when a manager or trainer does not have a complete grasp on it themselves, or might concentrate the training mostly on food service and forget about beverage service.

The worst case scenario is a new server with out much wine training or knowledge, just getting the bottle that was ordered and giving it the old college try at the table. The bottle could go between the legs for leverage, no taste is poured for the host, and the cork ends up split in half and quickly hid in the servers’ pocket out of embarrassment. This could go unnoticed by the restaurant manager at a busy establishment, and the server just crosses their fingers that no more smucks order wine by the bottle. Hell, not presenting the wine list can take care of that sometimes.
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