Our Chianti Classico is a perfect complement for winter meats – Check out our website for featured recipes: Steak & Polenta, Sausage Allí Uccelletto, and Skirt Steak with Mushrooms. Or pick up a pizza, another perfect match for this red wine!

In the meantime, we have a wonderful discussion going on at our Facebook page. Let us know if you’ll be switching over to red wine this season.

Here is a pairing that we simply adore! Ribeye steak with our famous Santa Margherita Chianti Classico. How the wine brings out the flavor in the meat is where we find our passion.

How life gets moved to a higher level because of it…we’ll that’s just what happens.

Do NOT simply read this. Take it and embrace it and create it. And open a bottle and savor it!

There are food and wine pairings…and then there is this!

Best!

RIBEYE STEAK
PAIRS WELL WITH
SANTA MARGHERITA CHIANTI CLASSICO

3 Tbsp. sugar
1½ Tbsp. kosher salt
9 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dried Porcini mushrooms ground to a fine powder in a blender
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 20-ounce USDA Prime, dry-aged Rib-eye steaks, cut 2 inches thick
Balsamic vinegar for drizzling
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

In small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary, pepper, mushroom powder and olive oil and stir well to form a thick, fairly dry paste. Rub the paste all over the steaks, coat­ing them evenly, and refrigerate, wrapped in plastic, for 12 hours or overnight.

Preheat the grill. Remove steaks from refrigerator and brush off excess marinade with a paper towel. Let sit for 20 minutes so they come to room temperature. Cook on the hottest part of the grill for 20 minutes, turning every 6 to 7 minutes, or to an internal tem­perature of 125°F for medium rare. Allow the steaks to rest for 15 minutes, then slice against the grain. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

This recipe pairs beautifully with Chianti Classico. The acidity and tannins in the wine are a pleasant complement to the richness of the rib-eye cut.

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Lindenauer
©2008 Condé Nast Publications

Suggested wine pairing: Santa Margherita Chianti.

Don’t forget that there are still two weeks left to enter The Great Taste Challenge to show off how you pair wines and foods best. Show the world what your kitchen brings out in you!

Entering the contest is easier than ever – visit www.santamargherita.us/Contest and follow the steps to upload your entry.  All you need to start is one of your delicious recipes that pairs perfectly with Santa Margherita Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, or Chianti Classico.  Record a quick video of yourself with your finished recipe, explaining your inspiration behind the dish and why you think it is the perfect Santa Margherita pairing.  Upload the video and your recipe to the Santa Margherita site and you are in the contest! 

The three finalists will win a 2-day trip to Chicago to compete at the Great Taste Challenge Finale at the Chicago Gourmet Festival on September 25^th.   The Great Taste Challenge Winner will be awarded an exciting 3-day trip for two to Los Angeles, and dinner with Top Chef Fan Favorite Fabio Viviani!

The contest has just begun, so be sure to enter for your chance to win!

 The energy in the Club reached new heights as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse prepared a menu paired with all three Santa Margherita wines for the post-premiere dinner of the new movie “The Boys Are Back.”  A-List stars turned out for this intimate wine dinner, and they were greeted with a glass of Prosecco as they posed for pictures with actor Clive Owen, Emeril, and Fabio.  However, the highlight of the week was the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge Finale, where contestant Andreann G. won first prize with her lamb dish paired with Chianti Classico.  Interested in trying the winning dish?  Go to the Santa Margherita website to download her recipe.   Start practicing your pairing skills now – maybe you have what it takes to win the Great Taste Challenge in 2010! 

As the events at the Bon Appétit Supper Club and Café wound to a close, it was time to hustle over to the 2^nd annual Chicago Gourmet Food and Wine Festival.  The festival was a weekend long extravaganza of extraordinary food and great wines – including the family of Santa Margherita wines.  Anthony Terlato, Chairman of Terlato Wines International, and the man who brought Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio to the United States 30 years ago, and Chef Fabio Viviani won the hearts of fans during a cooking demonstration in front of a standing-room-only crowd.  Tony discussed the principles of wine and food pairing and the history of Santa Margherita while Fabio prepared his delicious Seared Tuna with Caramelized Fennel and Salsa Verde paired with Santa Margherita Prosecco.  Everyone in attendance received the recipe card but, if you were not able to make it, you can download the card on Facebook.

After the demonstration, everyone hurried over the Terlato Wines International tasting tent to try a sample of all three of the Santa Margherita wines.  A Santa Margherita apron, signed by Fabio Viviani, was raffled off –Shirley C. of Chicago was the lucky winner!  We captured photographs of the crowd throughout the entire weekend – go to www.Facebook.com/SantaMargherita to see if you are in one of the pictures.

Santa Margherita is always hosting exclusive events all across the country – all you need to do to be invited to the next event is “Become a Fan” of Santa Margherita on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (Twitter.com/SMPinotGrigio).  We make sure to give our fans the first opportunity to RSVP, so be sure to find us on online and we will see you at the next event!

While the first finalist was selected live in Chicago, we saw a fevered race to the finish in the online competition!  Amateur chefs from across the country submitted their unique recipes paired with the Santa Margherita wines, and from day one the votes and comments poured in.  By the end of the voting period, our entrants received more than 7,000 votes and hundreds of comments!  With your votes tallied, we brought in our judging panel to test the top four recipes – a very tough decision.  In the end, Andreann G. and Debbie K. came out the winners with their delicious recipes and wine pairings. 

It has been thrilling every step of the way and the final show-down at the Bon Appétit Supper Club & Café in New York City will not disappoint.  This New York hotspot is the perfect venue for the conclusion to the Great Taste Challenge.  The moment of truth is upon us: it is time to have our three talented contestants – Colleen, Andreann, and Debbie – face each other head-to-head.  Who will take home the prize?  Colleen’s delicate scallops paired with the crisp, bubbly Prosecco?  Maybe it will be Debbie’s glazed pork that perfectly highlights the citrus notes in the Pinot Grigio?  Or Andreann, with her tender lamb paired beautifully with the soft tannins of the Chianti Classico?  With the prestigious judging panel composed of Bill Terlato (CEO, Terlato Wines International), Fabio Viviani (Top Chef Fan Favorite and Restaurateur), and Barbara Fairchild (Editor-In-Chief, Bon Appétit Magazine) we are eagerly awaiting the results!

We believe that the thoughtful pairing of great wine and food brings every gathering to a new level. As America’s favorite imported wine, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio has long complemented some of the best home-cooking across the country. With the recent release of Santa Margherita Prosecco and Chianti Classico, America’s aspiring chefs now have the perfect range of wines to pair with their delicious recipes.

Through the Great Taste Challenge, we’ve opened the door for food and wine lovers to share their favorite, original recipes. All they need to do is upload a homemade video where they discuss their unique dish and how it pairs with one of the Santa Margherita wines. We are using this challenge to set the stage for an innovative collection of recipes, all of which are complemented by Santa Margherita’s collection of authentic, Italian wines — Pinot Grigio, Chianti Classico, and Prosecco.

With the help of renowned chef, Fabio Viviani, we will select three finalists and, ultimately, one winner of the Great Taste Challenge. The winner will receive a trip for two to Los Angeles, dinner with Fabio, and more! Want to join in on the action? Stay tuned for more details on how to enter and win — let the challenge begin!

The Santa Margherita Team