This month, we offer a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and an IGT Primitivo, both perfect for the holidays.

Vallerosa Bonci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi D.O.C. Classico Carpaneto vineyard is straw-yellow with greenish highlights, and has an intense and delicate, tightly focused nose of  citrus, lemon and white flowers, with a  clean and well balanced, dry, fresh and slightly fruity taste.

Verdicchio is the name of the grape variety and it is grown only in Marche Region. There are two different appellations for Verdicchio: “Castelli di Jesi” and “Matelica”. The first one close to the coast on the Adriatic Sea, while the second is more in land. Thanks to the location, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi gets many influences from the sea and develops a characteristic mineral taste. The economy of Marche Region was always based on fishing so this wine became the perfect match for seafood. Excellent with Shellfish as scallops, mussels, clams, crabs and lobster. Only the best Verdicchio grapes are selected and hand picked in the Carpaneto Single Vineyard. Quickly transported to the winery the are destemmed and soft pressed in a pneumatic bladder press, to extract only the best juice and leave the skins and the seeds intact. The juice and skins macerate together for about 18 hours to increase the extraction of flavor and reduce extraction of oxidant elements.   At this point the
juice is separated from the skins and temperature controlled fermentation ensues for 10 days in stainless still vats. After refrigeration and stabilization the wine is bottled and ready to drink.

Torre Quarto Tarabuso IGT Primitivo Spice is the heart of Primitivo, yet another ancient grape that can trace its original roots back to Croatia (as can its cousin Zinfandel; the two are related.) Black pepper, baking spices, you name it—Primitivo has them. Yet the body of this wine is undeniably luscious, with sweet, silky tannins and a smooth finish. “Tarabuso” is a great steak wine; it's also structured enough to stand up well with a chili-infused pasta all'arrabbiata or olive-rich pasta puttanesca. “Tarabuso” refers to a bird that makes its home in the wetlands of Puglia.

If you want extreme, come to Puglia. It’s here where the Italian sun shines its brightest and where agriculture is at its most abundant. In the terra rossa—Puglia’s iron-rich red clay soils—gigantic olive trees provide large circles of shade and vineyards line each picturesque vista.

The sultry south is home for Torre Quarto, owned by the Farussi family who have made wine here, off and on, for generations. More than a hundred years ago, the estate sold grapes to Bordeaux winemakers, as did many southern Italian winemakers with large crops and dense, concentrated grapes. Times weren't always so good for the family, however. Years of overproduction and frivolous spending almost turned the estate over to the bank. Yet Stefano Cirillo Farrusi, the youngest grandson of the original owner, stepped in to rescue Torre Quarto. He hired enologist Cristoforo Pastore to help isolate the estate's most suitable vines and focus overall on the best local, and unusual grape varietals.

Recipes
For the Verdicchio:  Zuppa con Sarde Serves 6

This soup is made with sardines, pine nuts and sultanas! Combined with borlotti beans, they make for a memorable dish - perfectly matched with the Verdicchio

* 1/2 pound of  borlotti beans
* extra-virgin olive oil
* ½ red onion, peeled and finely sliced
* 3 salted anchovy fillets
* 1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
* 1 tbsp sultanas, soaked in hot water
* 2 cloves of garlic, peeled: 1 finely chopped, 1 cut in half
* 1 tbsp fennel seeds
* 12 whole sardines, filleted
* 6 slices of ciabatta bread
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Soak the beans overnight and cook them the following day in water with fresh herbs but no salt. The cooking time will vary depending on the freshness of the beans; it can take from 45 minutes to 1½ hours.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a thick-bottomed saucepan.Add the onion and gently cook until soft and translucent but not brown.Add the anchovies and crush into the onion, then add the pine nuts, sultanas, chopped garlic and fennel seeds and stir to combine.

Lay the sardines in the pan and season them. Pour over just enough boiling water to cover the sardines, then cover and cook over a low heat for five minutes, or until the sardines are cooked. Add the borlotti beans and stir, crushing and breaking up the sardines.

Toast the bread and rub one side lightly with the halved garlic clove. Place each of these crostini in a bowl and ladle over the soup. Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil to serve.

For the Primitivo : Beef Tenderloin with Portobello-Bacon Sauce and Rosemary-Mascarpone Polenta  Serves 6

This crowd-pleasing recipe will go down well at any setting, at any time of the year, and especially well with lush, smooth, rich Primitivo from Torre Quattro.

* 6 cups beef broth
* 3 cups red wine
* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 4 ounces sliced double-smoked bacon, cut in half lengthwise and julienned
* 5 shallots, finely diced
* 8 to 10 portobello-mushroom caps, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
* 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed
* 1 1/2 cups coarse polenta
* 1 cup mascarpone cheese
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 4 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed (with the thin tail end folded to equalize the thickness) and tied at   1 and 1/2-inch intervals

For the Portobello-Bacon sauce: Place 8 cups of the broth in a saucepan over medium heat and reduce to about 1 cup. Reduce the red wine to about 1 cup in a separate saucepan.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pan, then add the bacon and cook until it's crisp but not burned; remove and set aside. Add the shallots to the pan, cook till translucent, and stir in the diced mushrooms. When the mushrooms have released all their liquid, return the bacon to the pan, add the reduced wine, and bring to a simmer. Add the reduced beef broth and thyme and simmer for 30 minutes.  When ready to serve, whisk in the butter and season with salt and pepper. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin it out with a little water.

For the Polenta: Bring the chicken stock,cream and rosemary sprigs to a simmer in a medium nonstick saucepan. Add a pinch of salt, then slowly add the polenta in a steady, thin stream, stirring constantly, to avoid lumps. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring often, until tender and very thick, about 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mascarpone and the butter. Season with salt and pepper, add the chopped rosemary and keep warm.

For the Beef Tenderloin:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in a large ovenproof saute pan, and when the oil begins to smoke, add the tenderloin and sear on all sides. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, to desired doneness (120 degrees for medium rare). Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Cut into 2-inch-thick slices and serve 2 per person with the portobello-bacon sauce.

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