New wine to benefit food banks

DEMING — Combining the release of one of their top-tier wines and some speciallypaired bites, St. Clair Winery is planning an evening to delight guests across the state of New Mexico — and using it as an opportunity to support a worthy cause; to fund local food banks.

The new wine release, D.H. Lescombes Limited Release 2014 Petit Verdot, is one of the Lescombes family’s favorite varietals due to its consistent fruit production and bold, hardy character.

“We mature each of our Limited Release wines on French oak for at least one year,” explains Melissa Landeros, winemaker at St. Clair. “In this case, we aged for three years on oak and an additional year in the bottle which resulted in a softer, well-balanced wine.”

Release party guests will receive a glass of the newest release alongside wine-inspired hors-d’oeuvres selected by St. Clair Winery chefs. Guests will also have access to purchase from the limited supply at the event, ahead of the public release scheduled for Feb. 15.

“Our D.H. Lescombes Limited Release wines are a selection of the best varietals grown and crafted in New Mexico,” noted Landeros. “The entire process — in the vineyard, in the barrel, and into the bottle — is controlled and monitored carefully to ensure it reaches its full potential.”

The admission fee of $15 per person is being donated in full to local food banks in New Mexico including Roadrunner Food Bank, Echo Food Bank in Farmington and The Food Depot in Santa Fe. All three nonprofits are focused on the goal of ending hunger in New Mexico.

St. Clair Winery is familyowned and operated by the Lescombes Family and has long supported nonprofit causes in New Mexico.

St. Clair locations in Las Cruces and Deming kicked off the parties, with these to follow:

■ 6-8 p.m. Jan. 14, Farmington

■ 6-8 p.m. Jan. 15, Santa Fe (Hervé Wine Bar)

■ 6-8 p.m. Jan. 16, Albuquerque

For information or to buy tickets, visit stclairwinery.com.