E-mail your questions to markv@stinnocentwine.com
Where did the name "St. Innocent" come from?
My father began my introduction to wine at the age of 7. Over the next eleven years I learned and tasted wines from throughout the old and new world in a very non-pretentious manner. This always occurred in the the context of a meal. Being able to taste and understand what wine tasted like prior to adolescence, gave me a very instinctual feel for what wine was about. The science and craft of winemaking can be taught, but the feel or art is part of your soul. To thank my father, I named the winery after him – he was born on All Innocents Day and his middle name is "Innocent".
What are you favorite wines?
Of the wines I did not make, the list is very long. I expecially like the Grand Cru wines of Alsace, Barbaresco and Barolos from Italy's Piedmont, Burgundy, especially Chablis, and Champagne.
Of my own wines, my favorite Pinot noirs are 1991, 1998, & 2002 Seven Springs Vineyard, 2001 Brickhouse, and 2002 Shea. My favorite whites are 2005 Chardonnay, Freedom Hill Vineyard; 2005 Pinot gris, Shea; and the 2000 Brut.
How do you make those great open house dishes?
Here are some of the receipes:
Herbed leg of Lamb
one 5-8# leg of lamb, trimmed
1 t. ea. ginger, thyme, sage, marjoram, and rosemary
1 t. ea. salt and pepper
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
20 cloves of garlic
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Combine the herbs, spices, soy, and oil into a paste.
Cut small slits in the lamb and insert the garlic.
Rub the herb paste thoroughly over and into the meat.
Place the meat on a rack in a roasting pan.
Brown for 20 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 325 and roast uncovered for 16 minutes per pound for medium (160 degrees on a meat thermometer). Let stand 20 minutes before carving.
Serve with pan gravy, a white bean casserole, a tossed green salad, and your favorite Pinot noir.
Beans Provence
1# white beans (organic small ones are best)
2 qt. vegetable or chicken stock
2 diced carrots
2 diced stalks of celery
1 onion stuck with 4 cloves
few cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. Finely chopped parsley
Pour about a gallon of boiling water over the beans and let sit a least an hour.
Saute the carrots and celery in olive oil until softened.
Drain the beans.
Add the stock, beans, garlic and onion.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 hours until the beans soften and just begin to mush.
Add parsley and pan drippings from roasted lamb.
Serve with roasted lamb and Pinot noir.
Grilled Salmon
2 half of salmon fillets, boned
1/2 cup olive oil
3 T lemon juice
2 T Balsamic vinegar
2 T soy sauce
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
salt & pepper
Select dark pink salmon fillets and rinse them in running water. Pat dry. Salt and pepper to taste.
Rub the crushed garlic into the flesh side of the salmon.
In a shallow bowl, wisk together the marinade ingredients.
About one hour before cooking, place the salmon in the marinade flesh side down.
Preheat the gas grill. Set the grill at medium-high heat.
Place a doubled layer of foil under the fillets and grill skin side down until the thickest part of the salmon just flakes. Do not overcook.