Can you ever have too much of Italy? I didn’t think so.

Although it was only last month that we featured three Italian wines in this space, I had a hard time ignoring the email advertising the Boynton Beach Total Wine’s recent wine tasting class on Italy’s Piedmont region. And I’m glad I found it irresistible, too.

You can never go wrong with a wine tasting class. You’ll always learn something new (even if you participated in the same class the previous year), you’re sure to meet new wine-loving friends, and you just never know what gem of a wine will tantalize your tongue.

Piedmont, in Italy’s northwest corner, is surrounded by the Alps and the Apennines, which explains its name meaning "foot of the mountain." Piedmont has the most Denominazione di Origine Controllata and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita regulated zones in Italy within its borders, with 45 DOCs and 12 DOCGs, yet has no Indicazione Geografica Tipica ones (which is a more humble designation).

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We continue to taste-test wines from all over the world, and today bring you some from France, Italy and different regions of California. Some were great buys for both taste and price; some were fairly pricey. Most can be found locally.

BOLD: I’ll buy Crimson & Clover again

2009 Concannon Conservancy, Crimson & Clover, Livermore Valley, Calif. (Total Wine, $11.99)

The label says "red table wine," but this is mostly petite sirah, and I was happy about that. In fact, I was really happy about the entire experience with this Crimson & Clover blend. It has some cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel there, so the entire Bold family of preferred tastes came together beautifully. It’s a pretty purple wine, not opaque, but close to it. The nose is deep cherry and very fragrant.

On taste, it’s a big, chewy wine with a fruity blast. It’s got a smooth mouthfeel and was yummy from the first sip with cola, blackberries, a bit of leather and more dark fruit (cherries, currants). Quite a good wine, especially for the price. It’s on my "buy again" list.

2009 Redmond Ranch Syrah, Amala Springs, Sonoma, Calif. ($10 online)

This was a pretty garnet wine that promised light cherry on the nose. Unfortunately, the palate was a bit harsh; there was some light raspberry there, but the finish was extremely tannic and not pleasant. I corked it, stored it and tried it again the next night, hoping that it would have lightened somewhat, but I wasn’t rewarded.

2008 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calif. ($39.99, Total Wine; $42.99, ABC Fine Wine; $49.95, Crown)

The nose on this dark purple wine has dark fruits mixed with some leather undertones. It’s a pleasant, deep wine, and also tastes of dark fruits (blackberries), bing cherries and a little brambly. It’s a bit tart on the medium finish, but in a tasty way. I aerated this wine, and it needed it.

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THURSDAY

Gourmet Wine Tasting & Pairing, 6:30 p.m. The Backyard Bar, West Palm Beach. Enjoy a selection of boutique wines from France paired with delicious hors d’oeuvres created by German master chef Michael Ober. $15 per person. (561) 339-2444.

Wines of Piedmont Tasting, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Total Wine & More, 960 S. State Road 7, Wellington. From brachetto d’acqui and the crisp and alluring whites of arneis to the massive and impressive barbaresco and barolo, this class offers a selection for various palates. $25. (561) 795-9229.

MAY 16

Wednesday Night Wine Tasting, 6-8 p.m., Paradiso Ristorante, 625 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth. Enjoy award-winning wines hand-picked for this occasion. $35. (561) 547-2500.

ONGOING

Wine Down Wednesday, 5-10 p.m., Romeo-n-Juliette’s Caffe, 1544 Cypress Drive, Jupiter. Half-price bottles of wine. (561) 768-3967 .

Pasta Tuesdays and Winesday, Maison Carlos, 3010 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. The restaurant’s pasta dishes are $10 on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, enjoy your own wine with no corkage fee. (561) 659-6524.

Ladies’ Night, 9 p.m. Wednesdays, The Blind Monk, 410 Evernia St., No. 107, West Palm Beach. Ladies enjoy two-for-one specials on all wines. (561) 833-3605 .

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These oak-barrel-aged chardonnays come from the Napa Valley, North Carolina and Chile. (Photo by Lynn Kalber)

Ah, the misunderstood chardonnay.

This varietal has suffered the same kind of setback that merlot did after the film Sideways. Both bad reps are decidedly undeserved.

Thankfully, merlot is making a comeback. Let’s see if we can give the same appreciation to a good, oaked chardonnay.

Chardonnay, after all, is still one of the most widely planted types of grape in the wine world. It’s grown around the globe. It’s a fairly easy vine to grow – not demanding, and the results are extremely dependent on terroir (the earth, the climate, the surroundings) and the handling of the grapes.

It’s used in a variety of ways, from sweet icewines to sparkling wines and is related to the pinot noir grape.

The Swirl Girls are asked most often for chardonnay when we’re out pouring at local events. And we hear you: You love chardonnay. We like it, too, although our tastes are split into the unoaked and oaked preference worlds. That refers to chardonnay being aged in either stainless-steel or oak barrels. I love the traditional, oaked, buttery, honey chardonnays – with those adjectives, why wouldn’t I?

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If only we could see into the future. In wine, it seems, we can. Or at least we can buy into the future.

Buying wine en primeur, or in futures, is the practice of purchasing a wine that is still in the barrel. The system is usually found in Bordeaux, where the first en primeur offerings come to market in the spring after the harvest.

The wine itself isn’t bottled and released for another two years, which means you buy an unfinished product, based on barrel tastings and critic speculations on how that wine may turn out.

Why buy this way? “The simple answer is price,” says Ron Warshawsky, Bordeaux specialist for Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida. “If you are lucky enough to purchase one of your favorite wines on the first tranche (or first offering of the wine), you are assured the best price. Number two is availability. Depending on the wine, if you don’t purchase on futures you may have a very difficult time finding it.”

But recent price increases have made the value in futures less clear. In a decade with four “vintages of the century” (2000, ’05, ’09 and ’10) and increased demand from an affluent Chinese market just entering the world of fine wine, Bordeaux futures have skyrocketed. Read the full story

When it came time for the Swirl Girls to test sagrantino, an Umbrian grape they'd never heard of, the occasion called for a Sunday feast with pasta dishes and other Italian wines. (Jennifer Podis / Palm Beach Post)

Sometimes, the most inconspicuous thing leads to grandeur. In this case, a simple bottle review led to the grandeur of a big-bodied, bold, mysterious wine called Sagrantino di Montefalco.

After "Earthy" reviewed an Orvieto Classico last year, she was asked whether the Swirl Girls would be interested in trying a more obscure wine from Umbria, the region in which you find Orvieto.

Why, yes, we would!

And so, on our doorstep we found a bottle of wine made from a grape we had never heard of. Because it sells for more than $40, it went in our "special" wine category and we decided the 2005 Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano DOCG was a wine we needed to experience together. It also provided an opportunity to create culinary excess.

We decided to include two other Italian wines we had received. Then we added some small plates to have with the wines. Then the plates grew, and when the three of us gathered on a recent Sunday night, the table contained a small feast. Funny how that happens.

The wines may have been in the higher-price range, but the food was definitely down to earth. Our pairings: a Soave white with marinated olives and an avocado/cucumber/scallion/lime salad; the sagrantino with two kinds of pasta and two sauces; and a Chianti with homemade pizza.

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Chenin Blanc vines at Rudera winery in Stellenbosch. These vines are 45 year old "bush vines", which are a jewel in South African viticulture as they do not grow tall in height, but low and wide to the ground. The roots can go deep into the earth and as a result provide small, concentrated berries. This can produce a wine of great character. (Photo courtesy Gene Bodemer/South African Wine Export Co.)

On this Earth Day, the Swirl Girls tip our made-from-recycled-material hats – and our wine glasses – to South Africa and its extraordinary winemaking standards.

What began as an idea for a national "teach-in" on the environment, Earth Day, inaugurated on April 22, 1970, resulted in a demonstration by millions of Americans for a healthy, sustainable environment. And nowhere in the vineyards, as a whole, is that effort toward environmental stewardship more dedicated and robust than in South Africa.

It’s still not on the forefront of American wine drinkers’ palates, but with the huge gains in winemaking knowledge and quality since apartheid was abolished in 1994, South Africa is on the verge of being the next great wine-producing country. During apartheid, winemakers couldn’t buy the products they needed to make wine and couldn’t learn from established winemakers in other countries. It was even difficult to find customers to buy South African wines outside its borders, thanks to the stigma attached to the country and its politics.

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TODAY

Wine and Dine in Style: An Evening of Cultural Excellence to Benefit the Lake Worth Playhouse, 6:30 p.m., Paradiso Ristorante, 625 Lucerne Ave. A wine tasting accompanied by specially prepared hors d’oeuvres selection, entertainment and a silent auction. Tickets: $40. Info: (561) 586-6410 or lakeworthplayhouse.org.

THURSDAY

American Fine Wine Competition and Gala, 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton. Dinner by Chef Emeril Lagasse, more than 600 wines, entertainment and more. Tickets: $310. (888) 543-1277.

UPCOMING

Quintessa Wine Experience Dinner, 6:30 p.m. April 25, Ironwood Steak & Seafood, PGA National, 400 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens. A selection of wines and gourmet menu items. $85. (561) 627-4852.

ONGOING

Wine Down Wednesday, 5-10 p.m., Romeo-n-Juliette’s Caffe, 1544 Cypress Drive, Jupiter. Half-price bottles of wine. (561) 768-3967 .

Ladies’ Night, 9 p.m. Wednesdays, The Blind Monk, 410 Evernia St., No. 107, West Palm Beach. Ladies enjoy two-for-one specials on all wines. (561) 833-3605 .

Photo: Copyright Tobias Steiner, 2012

CURRENT SIP: Termes (by Numanthia) 2009, from the Toro region of Spain. “This wine is poised and bright, with good acidity, supple tannins, and luscious flavors of red plums.”

PAIR IT WITH: “Termes matches up very well with a wide range of dishes, from salmon and tuna through white meats to red meats. Because of its prominent acidity and forward fruit, it’s also very pleasurable to drink on its own.”

PRICE: Available at Total Wine ($23.99), or by the glass and bottle at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach.

~ Jennifer Podis, Swirl Girl “Earthy”