Dear Italian Wine Lover:

This month, we return to Piemonte with two stunning wines: Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi DOCG 2010 and Marchesi diGresy Dolcetto d'Alba, 'Monte Aribaldo,' 2009 DOC.  Your allocation is for a bottle of each.

Sparina Gavi:  Consistantly one of the best Gavis coming out of Italy, this is in a more racy style, with a lovely zing of acidity to balance the lush, ripe fruit. Beautiful as a cocktail wine or with lighter fare. This classic Gavi has a pale straw golden color with a floral nose and hints of peach fragrances. It has wonderful peach, pear and lemony citrus flavors with hints of wet stone and a long finish.

Gavi di Gavi is a beautifully clean Italian white wine, made from Cortese grapes. Gavi is a village in the Piedmont in northwest Italy.  The mountain climate is moderated by the Mediterranean.  The soil is chalk and limestone.   

Villa Sparina Gavi comes in a short wide flask.

diGresy Dolcetto Marchesi di Grésy, made up of four estates situated in the Langhe and the Monferrato zones, is recognized for producing many of the Piedmont region’s greatest wines. In the late 1960s, Alberto di Grésy began supervising the family’s agricultural operations, concluding early on that he didn't want to continue selling his grapes to the area’s finest wine producers but instead to capture their elegance in-house. In 1973 he began making his own wine, adhering to the highest quality standards and respect for terroir.

Parker 90 points: "The 2009 Dolcetto d’Alba Monte Aribaldo makes a great introduction to the wines of this venerable estate. Floral red berries inform this delicate, mid-weight Monte Aribaldo. There is a Burgundian sense of elegance and restraint to the 2009 I find particularly appealing."

RECIPES

For the Gavi:  Melon and Prawns for 6 people

6 Tbs dry white wine
1 small bay leaf
2-3 whole black peppercorns
Pinch of salt
2-3 sprigs fresh parsley leaves finely chopped
1 small onion halved
12oz fresh prawns in their shells
1 medium sized melon
2 lettuce leaves
5 oz mayonnaise
2 tbsps mild mustard
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp whipping cream
Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp brandy

Cooking Instructions

    Put 1 pint of water into a pot with a little salt, white wine, bay leaf peppercorns, onion and parsley and bring to the boil. Simmer for at least five minutes then add prawns and cook for at least 4 mins.
    Remove the prawns form the liquid discarding the ingredients. When the prawns are cool, peel them and place in a bowl.
    Cut the melon in half and discard the seeds.
    Scoop out the melon flesh being careful not to puncture the skins.
    Cut the scooped out melon into cubes [½ inch] and place in a mixing bowl.
    Prepare the dressing by blending the mayonnaise with the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup, cream and the brandy.
    Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
    Mix the cooled prawns and the melon cubes into the sauce and divide into the two halves of scooped out melon skins.
    Serve immediately

For the Dolcetto: Gnocchi di Patate ai Funghi serves 8

The sauce for the gnocchi combines dried porcini with fresh shiitake and a hint of tomatoes for a delicately woodsy aroma. In Piedmont, fresh porcini would be used instead.

    1 ounce (1/2 cup) dried porcini mushrooms
    1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    ½ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps minced
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
    6 large ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
    2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon salt
    ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    2 pounds fresh potato gnocchi
    ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Soak the dried porcini in cool water to cover for 30 minutes, or until soft and pliable; drain, reserving the soaking water, and rinse, then chop finely. Strain the soaking water through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over a medium flame. Add the shiitake, garlic, parsley, and porcini, and sauté 10 minutes, or until the shiitake have let out all their liquid and the liquid has evaporated. Add the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the pepper, and the reserved porcini soaking water.

Bring to a boil and cover; cook 15 minutes, stirring once in a while; keep warm.

When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring 8 quarts of water to a boil.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of salt. Drop in the gnocchi and cook until they float to the surface; remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Fold in the warm sauce with a rubber spatula (you may not need all of it), dilute with as much of the gnocchi water as needed to create a light, flowing consistency, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the Parmigiano. Serve hot. Serves 8

• < Prev
• Next >