CLUB NOTES: Monthly Club April 2021

Hello club members,

Here at Bag & String Wine Merchants, taking care of our customers is our #1 concern.

To that effect, an exciting Credit Card update has happened at the shop recently to better serve all those who support us! Out with the Old and in with the New! Welcome Blockchyp! Effective immediately, we need your credit card info updated and saved!

BlockChyp is changing the world of credit card processing by creating the most effective and advanced encryption security, both online and in store. It is, and will be for a long time, the most secure way to process credit cards securely.

As many of you know, this has required card holder data be verified and saved into our system again. Our apologies for any inconvenience that this may cause. And THANK YOU to all of you club members who came in with your cards again or called us with your information in the last month! We appreciate your support and patience as we work to update our system to better serve our loyal customers!

If you haven’t saved your information into the new system, you can call the store at 716-763-4000 and we will get that information saved on file so we can continue to keep giving you the great customer service you’ve come to expect from us here at Bag & String Wine Merchants!

Cheers!

-All of us at Bag & String Wine Merchants

MONTHLY CLUB RED ONE
WINERY NAME: Bodegas Borsao
VARIETAL NAME: Garnacha, Syrah, Mazuela
VINTAGE: 2016
REGION: Spain

Tasting Notes:
Elegant ruby and garnet color over a very deep cherry red. Aromas of vanilla with intense fruity tones and soft tannins coming from the wood. It has a long, pleasant and very harmonic aftertaste, perfectly structured and fleshy.

Winery Notes:
Cabriola is a specific jumping maneuver that a horse is trained to perform after years of exacting dressage. The movement requires great technique and precision of the rider and the horse working as a team. Much like the relationship between our winemaker and vineyards, combining masterful technique and passion that results in elegance and art.

Mountain vineyards with an age of 20-40 years situated at an altitude of 350-700 meters on stony gravels and caillous, slimy soils with clay and limestone.

FOOD PAIRING
Rack Of Lamb

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 (8-rib) frenched racks of lamb (about 1 1/4 lb. each)
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions:
In a food processor, pulse garlic, rosemary, thyme, and salt until minced. Drizzle in olive oil and process until a paste forms.

Place lamb on a large rimmed baking sheet and season all over with salt and pepper. Coat tops with herb rub and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°. Roast lamb 25 to 30 minutes for medium-rare, or until a thermometer inserted in the center reads 125°. 

Tent with foil and let rest 15 minutes before carving into chops.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

MONTHLY CLUB RED TWO
WINERY NAME: Evodia
VARIETAL NAME:, 
VINTAGE: 2017
REGION: Corbieres, France

Tasting Notes:
This 100% Garnacha offers a lovely perfume of spice box, mineral, and wild cherry. This perfectly balanced mix of flavors lends itself to an intensely fruity wine with loads of taste, a smooth texture, and a pure, fruit-filled finish. Pairs well with white and red meats roasted or grilled, big game, meat casseroles and stews, complex sauces, foie gras and legumes or blue and cured cheeses.

Winery Notes:
Domaine de Fontsainte is in the heart of the Corbieres' celebrated 'Golden Crescent' - one of the appellation’s most beautiful and beneficent terroirs. Fontsainte's intensely sunny, gently sloping, south south-east facing vineyards shelter from cold north-east winds on the flank of a 500-hectare pinewood massif. The domain dominates the landscape around the hamlet of Boutenac, enjoying panoramic views. Fontsainte's vineyards, just 90m in altitude, benefit from a pristine environment (far from industrial or urban developments) plus alternating Mediterranean and oceanic influences.

FOOD PAIRING
Veal Saltimbocca 

Ingredients:
8 veal cutlets
8 slices prosciutto
8 leaves fresh sage
1 tsp Butter
1 tbsp Olive oil
½ - ¾ cl white wine
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper

Instructions:
Trim any connective tissue and loose meat off of the veal scallops, then pound them thinly between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap.

Lay a thin slice of prosciutto and one sage leaf on top of each veal scallop, securing all of the layers together with a wooden toothpick. 

Heat a large stainless steel or copper skillet on the stove and add a splash of olive oil and a dab of butter.

Once the butter is melted, place the veal in the pan sage-side down and brown for up to one minute. Be careful not to leave it too long, or the prosciutto will harden.

Flip each piece over and brown for another minute or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange the veal on a serving platter, remove the toothpicks, and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the wine to the hot pan and stir to scrape up the sucs stuck on the bottom. Bring it to a boil, then cook for two to three minutes or until the sauce is reduced. The sauce should be silky and just thick enough that when you pull a spoon across the bottom of a pan, it leaves a clean trail behind it. 

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in another dab of butter, and pour the sauce over the veal. Enjoy the veal saltimbocca while it’s still hot!.

MONTHLY CLUB WHITE ONE
WINERY NAME: Santi
VARIETAL NAME: Pinot Grigio
VINTAGE: 2019
REGION: Veneto, Italy 

Tasting Notes:
Straw yellow hue, accompanied by a close-focused nose of pear, apricot and white flowers. The fruity palate, with top notes of stone fruit, shows ripeness and roundness well supported by an elegant acidity and savoriness, ensuring a long, lingering finish.

Winery Notes:
Santi traces its origins to 1843, when Carlo Santi established a wine cellar in the village of Illasi situated behind the Lessini Mountains, between the hills of Colognola and Lavagno. 

The original winery is situated in the heart of the most acclaimed wine growing zones in the Veneto near Lake Garda. Devoted to the production of Soave Classico, Pinot Grigio, Valpolicella and Amarone, Santi is an Italian winemaking success story. Santi wines are mainly crafted from estate fruit, or from long-standing relationships under the supervision of the Santi winemaking team. 

From the flagship Pinot Grigio "Sortesele" and crisp Soave "Vigneti di Monteforte" and Rosè "Infinito", to Valpolicella Classico "Solane" and the classic Amarone, all of Santi's wines show a well-balanced, polished international style.

FOOD PAIRING
Seafood Arrabbiata

Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked linguine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 ounces bay scallops; 6 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp; 12 littleneck clams; 12 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
½ cup chopped onion
¼ to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste 
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite-cut diced tomatoes, drained
½ cup clam juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation:
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

While pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops and shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes. Remove scallop mixture from pan; keep warm. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and tomatoes; bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes. Add clam juice; cook 1 minute. Add clams; cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 4 minutes. Add mussels; cover and cook 3 minutes or until clams and mussels open. Discard any unopened shells. Stir in scallop mixture and parsley; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with basil.

MONTHLY CLUB WHITE TWO
WINERY NAME: Château Peyrassol
VARIETAL NAME: Grenache, Cinsault & Viognier
VINTAGE: 2019
REGION: Côtes de Provence, France

Tasting Notes:
A fresh, easygoing rosé blend. Classic pale-salmon in color with a silvery streak, it deftly balances bright acidity, clean and succulent fruit, and a subtle saline component which befits its Mediterranean origins. Drink it down well chilled and with lots of black olives, tomato-based dishes, and fish.

Winery Notes:
Located in the heart of Provence, near routes traveled by Crusaders in the early Middle Ages, the Commanderie de Peyrassol was founded by the Knights of Templar who were dedicated to protecting the Crusaders en route to, and in, the Holy Land. The first recorded grape harvest took place in 1256 and winemaking has continued uninterrupted throughout the centuries. When the Templars were brought down in 1311 by the King of France, the Knights of Malta became the fortunate owners of the Commanderie. They remained in control, maintaining the vineyards until the French Revolution, when it was taken over by the State. The Rigord family purchased the estate in 1870. The current proprietor, Françoise Rigord, has been making the wines at Peyrassol since 1981 and has now been joined by her son, François. 

FOOD PAIRING
Mediterranean Fish w/Tapenade

Ingredients:
1 lb fish fillet, such as halibut, sole, cod or red snapper
1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste as well as 1/4 tsp paprika; 1/8 tsp ground himalayan sea salt; 1/4 tsp herbes de provence
1/4 c shallots, minced
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c roasted red peppers, chopped
1/4 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 c black olives, chopped
1 Tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
3-4 large lemon wedges, for garnish

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Grease a baking sheet lined with foil. Rub fish fillet with ½ tbsp. oil. Sprinkle with pepper, sea salt and paprika. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and cook until fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium, heat 1 tbsp. oil. Add shallot and garlic; sauté for 1 minute or until begin to soften. Add tomatoes and roasted red pepper; cook for 3-4 minutes.. Stir in basil and Herbes de Provence. Add olives and capers; sauté for 30 seconds; remove from heat. Spoon the tapenade over the fillets; sprinkle fresh chives and place a lemon wedge on the plate.