The team at WineStyles in Cedar Rapids, Iowa reviews our wine club this month, along with Beer Club and our holiday offer – Bottle Bucks Bonus cards!    If you’ve been on the fence to join our Wine Club, now is the time!  Get a $20 Bonus Card and enjoy this delicious Pumpkin Ravioli pairing recipe and Chardonnay from Martellotto Winery in Santa Barbara, California!  Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers!

Pumpkin Ravioli

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 lb. piece pumpkin, calabaza or butternut squash, seeds and strings removed
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, plus extra for serving
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 to 2 tbsp dried bread crumbs
• 1 ¼ lb. fresh egg pasta, try this recipe, https://nyti.ms/2PkzZtp
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, clarified
• 2 tbsp kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:
In a large frying pan, melt butter. Add apple wedges and cook on high 3 to 5 minutes stirring frequently until apples soften.

Reduce heat and add sugar, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg and water. Simmer uncovered over low heat stirring frequently 10 to 12 minutes until sauce becomes thick. Remove heat and serve warm.

Martellotto Winery
Melodeon
Chardonnay
Santa Barbara, California

The fanciful name “Melodeon” is the name given to foot-pumped organs used in the 19th century. Just imagine an old west saloon with gunslingers and whisky, with a melodeon organ music in the background. Melodeon was also commonly referred to as an accordion played while draped over a musician’s thigh. As such, the music of the time played in saloons of the Barbary Coast was referred to as melodeon. This black label “Melodeon” Chardonnay is as smooth, genuine, and lyrical as its name. This melodious Chardonnay’s low alcohol is the result of picking the fruit earlier, leading to a lovely natural acidity. After 10 months in oak with limited sulfur additions, the wine was minimally filtered and bottled.

“Notes of buttered toast, baked pecans, oak and vanilla carry through into the flavors of Melodeon. Creamy and buttery with a tension and nerve like makes the lips pucker.” – Greg Martellotto, winemaker

Winemaker: Greg Martellotto
Appellation: Sierra Madre, Santa Barbara, California
Varietal Blend:  100% Chardonnay
Analysis: 13.9% alcohol / volume, 3.36 pH
Critical Acclaim: Reviewed and approved by Doug Frost, Master Sommelier and Master of Wine