This month, we're featuring two wines from Mas Que Viños/Bodegas Ercavio in Spain, two organic wines from Domaine Ferraton in the Rhône, a delightful IGT from Italy, and a great organic Carignan-based blend from southern France. 

Mas Que Viños/Bodegas Ercavio 
3 Winemakers & 3 Friends. Margarita Madrigal, Gonzalo Rodriguez, and Alexandra Schmedes met in 1998 in Rioja and began a “flying winemaker” consultant firm, taking them to projects across Spain. They were drawn to Gonzalo’s home town of Dosbarrios where they saw great potential in the vineyards and decided to launch their own project, Ercavio, named for an old Roman settlement. They renovated an old family winery (from 1851) with typical tinajas (large clay wine vats: the traditional and antique method for fermenting in the region), located in the house of La plazuela in Dosbarrios. It is here that the wine la Plazuela is barrel aged.

• Ercavio Blanco is produced from 100% Airen (Spain’s most widely planted variety). The result is a light straw-colored wine with aromas and flavors of citrus zest, melons, and lemon-lime. Ripe and well-balanced, this refreshing wine offers excellent value.
  
  
• Ercavio Roble "is made up of 100% Cencibel (Tempranillo) and aged for five months in French and American oak. A glass-coating opaque purple in color, it delivers an expressive nose of cedar, earth notes, black cherry, and blackberry liqueur. Thick, dense, and opulent on the palate, it has gobs of savory black fruit, licorice and spice notes, enough structure to evolve for 1-2 years, and a lengthy finish. It totally over-delivers for its humble price. This is one to buy by the case." 90+ points, Ropbert Parker
  

Domaine Ferraton Père et Fils was founded in 1946; in 1998, they struck a partnership with Chapoutier, who helped them transform their vineyards to organic viticulture and greatly improved the winemaking style. 

• Côtes du Rhône Blanc is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Clairette that went through no maloactic fermentation.  The result is a nicely balanced wine - the Clairette brings freshness while the Grenache brings body and softness.  Look for white flowers and fruit on the nose, a medium weight silky mouthfeel and a rich, yet crisp finish.
  
  
• Their Côtes du Rhône Rouge is mostly Grenache Noir (85%) with Syrah and Cinsault added in. Look for deep red fruit flavor, with meaty tannins and a spicy fruity aroma.  Neither wine has seen any wood.

Chateau Oupia 
André Iché inherited an impressive 13th century castle and a large estate in the barren Minervois region. Iché, now in his mid sixties and never a member of his village co-op, tended his very old vines and made his wines but sold everything in bulk to local négociants. Fifteen years ago, a Burgundian winemaker happened to be in Oupia, tasted Iché’s wines, and was so enthused that he convinced Iché to bottle and market his production. Since then, Iché has become an eternal twenty-year-old.He has expanded his vineyard holdings and now also vinifies several cuvées of Minervois with the best production, the Cuvée des Barons and Nobilis, aged in new oak barrels. He has rebuilt a cellar, and is now contemplating buying and cleaning up some overgrown and steep terraces that have been abandoned since the late 19th century.

• Les Héretiques blend - Organically farmed old, old vine Carignan, with a bit of Syrah.  Very dark reddish-purple color. Fruity and floral, its appealing aroma melds juicy ripe cherries and a fragrant double-grind of pepper. Full and fresh, juicy tart-cherry fruit and zippy acidity in mouth-watering balance, tangy as a squirt of lemon in a very long finish.

Fattoria I Veroni - is a small, family owned winery located in Chianti Rufina. They produce wines, olive oils and vin santo.  The name of the winery comes from the wide terraces that border the farm.

• I Veroni IGT Rosso dei Colli della Toscana Centrale is a well-balanced blend of Sangiovese (85%) and Merlot (15%).  The Sangiovese adds structure and acid, rounded out by the soft tannins and forward fruit of the Merlot. Fermented in large Slovenian oak casks, some neutral, some new, and some 500 liter new French barriques. The vineyards are south and southwest facing slopes located near the town of Pontassieve, in Chianti Rùfina, about 10 miles east of Florence.

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Recipes

For the White Wines:  Fresh Fettucini with Hedgehog or Shiitake Mushrooms and Ricotta
Here is a simple and delicous meal that really captures the flavor of wild mushrooms. I think either white in this month's allocation would be delicious here. The white Côte du Rhône will parallel the flavors of lemon and earth while the Ercavio's minerality will cut against the dish providing a cleansing effect between bites. Have both and see which you prefer....

Serves 4 as a main course

• 1 pound fresh fettucini noodles
• 1 pound fresh ricotta
• 1 pound mushrooms (hedgehog, chanterelle, shiitake, king oyster... probably not standard white buttons)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• zest of one lemon, Meyer if possible
• sea salt or kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.
Get the ricotta out of the fridge so it isn't ice cold when you serve it.
Clean, trim and slice the mushrooms. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Saute the mushrooms until tender and browning, about 8 minutes. During the saute you may need to adjust the heat so that the butter isn't burning.
Boil the pasta, either according to package directions or until it is al dente. Fresh pasta doesn't take as long as dried, usually just a few minutes. Taste a bite frequently, and stop the moment it is done.
Drain the pasta and reserve a bit of the liquid. Toss noodles with the remaining tablespoon of butter, some of the sauteed mushrooms, ricotta, lemon zest, and a bit of the pasta water.
To serve, divide the pasta among 4 bowls and top with rest of the mushrooms a good grind of black pepper.



For the Spanish and French Reds:  Vegetarian Chili and the Best Cornbread Ever
Yields around 10 cups, easily serving 5

Here is a great recipe for a classic combination. This vegetarian version of chili is matched with a knock out version of cornbread. As long as you dont' go too heavy on the spice, I think one of the easy drinking reds in this month's bargain club such as the Ercavio would do nicely here.

• 1.5 cups dry pinto beans
• 1 cup dry black beans
• 1/2 cup dry kidney beans
• 3 to 6 dried chili pods (any combination of ancho, guajillo, pasilla, cascabel, de arbol,)
• 1 small can chipotle pepper in adobo
• 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 white or yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1/4 cup canola or other neutral vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt

For garnish:

• green onion (sliced thin, mostly white parts only), or white onion (minced)
• cilantro leaves
• grated cheddar or queso anejo or cotija
• sour cream or queso fresco
• lime wedges

Carefully sort through the beans removing any extraneous material. Rinse well. Put in the pot you will eventually cook in, add 2 quarts of water, and soak overnight.
The next day, drain the beans, add water to cover by an inch or so, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are very tender, which could take 1 to 2 hours depending on their age. Add water occasionally, and stir to prevent any scorching. When nearly done, add 2 teaspoons of salt.
Meanwhile, toast the chilis in a hot, dry skillet until darkened on both sides. Ventilate the room well while you do this, it produces a rather intense smoke that some people find painful. Allow to cool.
(Hint: use dispoable gloves for this step to avoid having spicy hands!). Break apart the chilis and dispose of the seeds and stems. Add the chilis, tomato sauce, half of the adobo sauce from the can of chipotle, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a blender and puree until very smooth. This sauce should be pretty spicy, because it is going in that huge pot of beans soon!
Saute the carrot, onion and celery with 1 teaspoon of salt in the oil for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
Drain most of the liquid from the beans, reserving a cup for later dilution if needed.
Add the chili sauce, vegetables and lemon juice to the beans. Bring back to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes or so, allowing the flavors to begin to marry.
Now taste. If it needs more heat or a smoke, add the rest of the adobo sauce. If it needs a lot more heat, you can puree the chipotle peppers and add them. Add salt as needed. You shouldn't be tasting a lemon flavor, but there should be a subtle hint of acidity that wakes up the sauce. If the whole thing is too thick, you can dilute it with some of the reserved bean-cooking liquid.
Serve your vegetarian chili forth with the garnishes listed above.

Best Cornbread Ever

Makes one 8x8" pan, enough for 4 for dinner if you aren't too greedy

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk and 1 T. white vinegar (skim milk works ok)
• 1 cup coarse, stoneground cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter an 8x8" pan.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking about 10 minutes until it is turning a light brown and has a delicious, nutty aroma. Do not skim, keep all those browned milk solids.
Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Drizzle in the butter, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir just enough to form a batter. It is ok if there are a few lumps. Avoid overbeating as this could make the cornbread tough.
Pour into the pan and bake about 25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
Serve forth while still hot, with lots of good sweet butter.

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