This month, we have two wines that you might think you know about, but might not have tasted in awhile:  Soave and Lambrusco.

Wait a minute, before you quit the club, put away those bad memories of that treacly Riunite Lambrusco and  monochromatic Bolla Soave from the '70s and '80s - the wines we're presenting this month are fabulous - great examples of what the grapes are about.

Roccolo Grassi Soave Superiore "La Broia" 
This single vineyard 100% Garganega wine comes from the La Broia vineyard in the Soave D.O.C. The vineyard has Southeastern exposure with mostly calcareous soils of Alluvial origin. The vineyard lies at 100 meter elevation and is planted with ten year old vines.

It is aged for 12 months in a combination of French Barriques and Slovenian oak casks, none of which are new. Full malolactic fermentation.

90 points from Robert Parker: "The 2006 Soave Superiore Vigneto La Broia reveals the essence of crushed rocks, minerals, white peaches and smoke in a focused, linear style that recalls Chablis. This compelling white from Veneto offers superb balance and a long, refreshing finish.

Established in 1996, Roccolo Grassi is the name of the Estate's most important vineyard. The estate is run by Bruno Sartori, his daughter Francesca and his son Marco, a trained oenologist. In addition to the vineyards in the Valpolicella area, the estate also owns vineyards in the Soave D.O.C., just to the east. This allows them to produce both red and white wines. The estate owns approximately thirty-two acres, twenty-two of which are dedicated to red varietals and the remaining ten are perfectly suited for the estate's whites.

Roccolo Grassi is known for its wonderful Amarone, Valpolicella, and Soave. The estate makes their wine with a combination of new and old world techniques. The estate plants all traditional Italian varietals. Most of their vines are ten to thirty years old. Vinification is more innovative and new technology is used to control temperatures and create ideal conditions during fermentation and the vinification process. The wine is aged carefully in selected large French barriques and some Slovenian oak casks.

Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC nv Sparkling red wine from Emiglia-Romagna.  Lambrusco is the grape variety, Lambrusco Grasparossa is the particular type of Lambrusco, and Castelvetro is where it's from (near Modena in Emilia-Romagna).

The grapes are estate grown and fermented into a dry red base wine; three or four times a year batches of the base wine are re-fermented in pressurized tanks to add sparkle. The wine is bottled in a champagne bottle with a champagne cork. I should emphasize that this wine bears no resemblance to the mass-produced Lambrusco that was popular here some years ago, and if you haven't had a good example of this wine you should try it.

Tasting notes: attractive purplish red with vigorous purple foam when poured; aroma of plums and black fruit; medium weight on the palate, dry and plummy, with a faint bitterness at the finish that makes it an excellent match for certain foods.

The Barbolini family bought the vineyards in 1966 along the Giardini road that climbs up from Modena toward the mountain pass at Abetone.

This Lambrusco is great with foods, especially foods with some fat. In fact, this wine was made for Salume, Pizza, and Ragu Bolognese.    Store and staff favorite.

RECIPES

Soave:  Fried Zucchini Blossoms  serves four

Whether you pick blossoms from your garden or buy them at the farmers market, choose male flowers. The males — which don't produce a vegetable but exist to pollinate the females — are recognizable by their long, straight stems and the unmistakably male-looking stamen in the center of each blossom.
Females swell at the base of the blossom, where the squash forms, and four little shoots make up the pistil inside.

Some chefs like to fry female blossoms when the baby zucchini is just emerging and still attached, but Mexican and Italian purists wouldn't hear of it. Other chefs like to remove the stamen of the male flowers, but it isn't necessary. These are also wonderful stuffed with ricotta and pesto, buffalo mozzarella, basil, and corn......... In any case, a glass of Gini Soave would be perfect with them.

• zucchini blossoms
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup beer or club soda
• oil

Whisk flour into beer or soda to make batter. Dip blossoms in batter to thinly coat.
Fry blossoms in a saucepan, 2 or 3 at a time, in 1 inch of hot (375°F) oil.
Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
Eat

Lambrusco:  Salumi with Grape Mostarda and Whole Wheat Gnocci Fritti  serves 6
Lambrusco is the perfect foil for a plate of cured meats. If you feel like making a salumi plate a bit more formal here is an interesting recipe for a spicy grape relish and fried dough accompaniment. However you decide to put it together do try a bottle of chilled Lambrusco with some of the wonderful salume being made in the Bay Area.

Mostarda:

• 6 cups stemmed seedless red grapes (about 2 pounds)
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Peel of 1 orange, removed in strips with vegetable peeler
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Gnocchi:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons warm (105°F to 115°F) whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup (or more) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 7 tablespoons lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more for coating bowl

Canola oil (for deep-frying)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salumi
Assorted thinly sliced Italian cured meats (such as salami, mortadella, prosciutto, speck, and coppa)

For mostarda:

Bring all ingredients except mustard to simmer in heavy large pot over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer until liquids thicken and grapes are soft but most are still intact, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Mix in mustard. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.

For gnocchi:
Stir warm milk and sugar in small bowl; mix in yeast. Let stand until mixture looks spongy, about 6 minutes.

Combine 3/4 cup flour, salt, and cayenne in large bowl. Add 7 tablespoons lukewarm water, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and yeast mixture; stir until soft slightly sticky dough forms. Coat another large bowl with olive oil. Add dough and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Knead dough on work surface until smooth, sprinkling lightly with more flour if very sticky. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 2-inch-wide 1/3-inch-thick rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap.

Set pasta machine to widest setting. Run 1 rectangle through machine 6 times. Cut dough in half crosswise; turn machine to next-narrower setting. Continue to run dough through machine, adjusting to next-narrower setting after each 6 passes, until each strip is about 4 inches wide, 12 inches long, and 1/16 inch thick. Repeat with second dough rectangle. Cut each dough strip crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips.

Pour canola oil into large saucepan to depth of 1 inch. Attach deep-fry thermometer to pan; heat oil over medium heat to 350°F. Fry dough in batches until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle hot gnocchi with cheese. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven about 5 minutes.

Arrange salume on platter. Serve with mostarda and gnocchi.

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