Italian Wine Tasting. The Italian Wine Tasting on Wednesday, March 28 with Main Street Coffee is booked. Stay tuned for our next tasting in April.

A good friend, who is also a former restaurateur, wine lover and avid home cook, stopped in the shop to talk wine, among other things. He shared with me an opinion he has held for quite some time - thousands of grape varietals exist but most of us limit ourselves to drinking wine from just 3 or 4 varieties. I agreed with him knowing that we often think it's easier to go with the “old stand by." Well, yes that may be true, I said, but it also can be boring. (I am guilty of that at times.) So with that in mind my friend proposed to indirectly help move us out of “the safe zone” with delicious wine and food pairings, and with Easter coming, what a better opportunity than now. The temptation for going Italian couldn’t be resisted.

Crostini with edamame pesto, roasted red pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. If you can find fresh fava beans in the market purchase them. If not, then obtain a bag of frozen edamame shelled beans. Place them, a cup of basil leaves, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Toast the crostinis, spread on the edamame pesto, a strip or two of roasted red pepper and some shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve at room temperature or melt cheese slightly.

• Wine Pairing: Prosecco. (Borgo del Col Alto Valdobbiadene, $13.99, or Mionetto Party Blu, $12.99) People just don’t drink enough sparkling wine. Often, we equate it with celebrating and being expensive. Not so with Prosecco, which is the grape and makes an excellent sparkler that doesn’t kick the wallet. A few criteria for the purchase – it should have a mushroom shaped cork and a cage, like champagne, and it should be from Conigliano or Valdobbiadene, two towns that are the epi-centers of Prosecco production.

Boneless leg of lamb (two ways). The prep for these two ways are the same; the way the lamb is cooked differs. Buy a boneless leg of lamb and remove netting. The meat should unfurl itself and be relatively lean. Trim meat if you like, and pound some of the thicker portions so it is somewhat uniform for even cooking. Season both sides with kosher salt, pepper, garlic salt, fresh rosemary, thyme, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Now, re-roll the lamb and tie with butcher’s twine or treat it like one big steak. (Go outside and light the grill.) If you roll the leg, cook indirectly for about 1 hour in a 375 degree range, until you get a 130 internal temperature. (You will have to turn the meat every 15 minutes or so but just have a glass of wine out by the grill to enjoy.) Or, you can cook like a steak until a 130 internal temp. is reached. In both cases, when done, let rest 15 minutes tented with aluminum foil. Slice thinly and serve with potatoes of your choice and grilled asparagus.

• Wine Pairing: Rosso di Montalcino ($33.99). Made from the Brunello clone of the Sangiovese grape, Rosso di Montalcino is aged one year compared to four for Brunello and is slightly less expensive than its big brother, Brunello. But because most Brunello producers give the Brunello treatment to their Rossos, this wine is a great buy.

AH! Dessert. Gorgonzola cheese, that beautiful, slightly tart, slightly sweet, blue veined cheese from Italy drizzled with honey. Then add a few grapes and wine biscuits.

• Wine Pairing: Moscato (Cantina Aurora or Michele Chiarlo, both $11.99) Slightly sweet, slightly fizzy (frizzante) and low in alcohol. A perfect Piedmontese ending to a beautiful Easter Holiday.

A array of new wines has arrived, and it would be impossible to share them all within the confines of the e-newsletter. Plus, if we did you might get annoyed by having to "scroll" down for many minutes. So please stop in to see them, which include Italian, Spanish, Australian and New York selections, as well as Washington's L'Ecole wines. Thanks to all who made last night a great tasting with L'Ecole's Debbie Froll.

Friday, March 23 (5 pm to 8 pm)

• Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha, Aragon, Spain. Given a 91 point-rating by Robert Parker and literally sold out with our supplier, this Grenache is smooth, fruity, and elegant. Medium in body, yet full of rich cherry and blackberry flavors, it is perfectly balanced. ($13.49)

• Celler Can Blau, Monstant, Spain. This is a brilliant offering from the Montsant area of Spain that we are excited to share. Another high scorer, this medium-bodied red is a blend of old vine Carignane, Syrah, and Grenache, revealing an inky purple color, classic raspberry and black cherry aromas and flavors, wonderful definition and a surprising luscious intensity. This selection should drink well for the next two to three years. ($15.99)

• Naia Verdejo, Rueda, Castilla Leon, Spain. Naia is a tank-fermented and aged white wine offering loads of honeysuckle, lemon zest, and citrus characteristics in a crisp, medium-bodied, elegant, fresh style. This modern-styled Spanish white should be sought out by those looking for light to medium-bodied, crisp, zesty whites with loads of character. ($12.99)

Saturday, March 24 (3 pm to 7 pm)

• Dievole Fourplay, Sicily, Italy. Created from four native grapes of Italy, which is how it got its cheeky name, Fourplay is born from these near-forgotten varietals, Frappato Nero, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio and Nero d'Avola that are layered subtly, stimulating each other to create a wine beyond the ordinary. The wine is alive, juicy, and fragrant with flavors of blackberries, black cherries, and spice. A joy to be shared. ($12.99)

• Tormaresca Negroamaro, Puglia, Italy. For anyone who has ever had a Negroamaro-based wine, knows it typically has a full, dry, and somewhat earthy taste. Personally, I love that. However this wine has about 30% Cabernet blended in giving it a New World influence with more ripe fruit and dark berry flavors that would better attract those who want a softer wine and not a mouth full of earth. A nice red table wine that is perfect with gnocchi and tortellini. ($11.99)

email: jessica@thesavorygrape.com

phone: 401.886.9463

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