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.

THE WINE THAT STARTED IT ALL

2005 Arnaldo Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano DOCG ($43.99, online)

Sagrantino is an ancient vine with differing stories of its origin. Because it shows no similarities with other varieties that grow in central Italy, some researchers believe it is exclusive to Montefalco, a leading wine area in Umbria. Others believe it was brought there from Asia Minor by followers of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The appellation DOC Sagrantino was created in 1979 and was awarded DOCG status in 1992. Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG is made with 100 percent sagrantino grapes. When it is blended with other grapes, it produces Rosso di Montefalco DOC.

By the time we got our lips on a glass of this sagrantino, it had been decanted for five hours. We quickly found it wasn't near enough time for this powerhouse grape. It was densely colored, black-garnet in the glass, with a nose of concentrated dried red fruits and dried flowers. The palate was equally intense, full-bodied and very dry. The huge tannins masked much of the fruit, but we detected cherry, currant and raisin.

Sagrantino demands food, and it paired nicely with "Dry" Gwen's lamb pasta. The meat helped to tame some of the tannins and allowed more of the fruit to come through. Even tasting the wine again 24 hours later, after it was left to breathe in the decanter, the tannins were still quite tight. They had integrated somewhat, though, and a better flavor profile began to pull through. The fruit was still mostly red - cherry and currant that seemed more dried than fresh- but the darker fruit, too, in black cherry and plum skin. Vanilla and dried flowers were present, as well.

Aged for 22 months in French oak barriques and then a minimum of six more in the bottle, the Arnaldo Caprai sagrantino has an aging potential of 10 to 15 years, as suggested by the winery. The Swirl Girls are wistful for a sequel a few years down the road.

SIMPLE SIP SWEETER THAN EXPECTED

2009 Re Midas Soave ($10 online)

Made from 100 percent garganega grapes in the Venteto region of northeast Italy, this wine has a bright lemon-gold color and a ripe and fruity nose with hints of minerality. On the palate, the wine was slightly sweeter than expected, with flavors of apricot, apple, ripe citrus and perfumey-floral notes. Medium-bodied and soft with a lingering finish, and just a touch off-dry. It was a simple wine that didn't blow us away, but it paired nicely enough with the olives and salad, and especially well with the tomato, basil and brie cheese pasta.

2007 Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva ($47.99 ABC)

What a wine! One of Antinori's best from the classified region of Chianti Classico, this wine is made from 100 percent sangiovese from the vineyards surrounding the monastery of Passignano. We thought it would be a powerhouse and decided to open it much earlier in the day, allowing it time to breathe in a decanter.

In the glass, the wine is a dark brick/garnet color and has a deep, rich aroma of red and black cherry, currant and spice. If the beautiful, pungent nose isn't enough to make you swoon, just one sip may do the trick.

On the palate, the wine is elegantly balanced, with big, ripe fruit and hints of vanilla, licorice and earth. It has a lush and sexy mouth feel, balanced by strong but well-integrated tannins. After four hours in the decanter, this wine was still powerful but quite smooth, with a lingering, dry finish. This is a very good-quality wine that really made the evening special. It paired well with most everything on our menu, but especially the lamb ragu pappardelle and homemade pizza.

EARTHY'S PESTO PIZZA

Makes 1 pizza

Pizza dough (preferably homemade, or Publix makes fresh dough that you can buy in the bakery's refrigerated section)

1/4 to 1/3 cup pesto

Sliced fresh mushrooms

Sliced fresh tomatoes

1 ball fresh mozzarella

Mixed Italian herbs

Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400º.

Roll out the dough on a pizza pan. Spread pesto sauce over dough to form thin layer.

Lay sliced mushrooms and tomatoes on top of pesto. Use as much or as little as you desire.

Slice the mozzarella ball into approximately 1/8-inch slices. Then cut those slices in half. Lay the slices on top of the other ingredients. Sprinkle a pinch of Italian herbs across top, and finish with the fresh ground pepper, to taste.

Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

- "Earthy" Jennifer

FETTUCINE WITH TOMATO, BASIL AND BRIE SAUCE

This is a recipe I've made in one form or another for the past 18 years. The original recipe came from Randi Speranza - or "Mama" Speranza - the mother of one of my oldest friends, Jessica.

Standing just 5 feet tall and proud of every inch, Randi is a feisty Italian lady with huge heart. She singlehandedly saved both Jess and me from malnutrition in our first year living away from home. Visiting regularly, she came piled high with home-cooked meals where love was that special ingredient.

Randi's recipes were really the first good food I learned to make. Tasting this dish always brings me back to that run-down Torrington, Conn., apartment full of friendship, dreams and plenty of laughter.

As with any handed-down recipe, I've made some adaptations from the original. Randi's version uses only fresh tomatoes, but I love the sweetness of the San Marzanos. In Torrington, we used dry bow tie pasta, but once I discovered Mama Gizzi fresh pasta in Greenacres, there was no going back to traditional store-bought.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 28-ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes

3/4 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus additional basil to garnish

Salt and pepper, as needed

1 wedge of brie cheese, rind removed and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound fresh fettuccine, I suggest Mama Gizzi Pasta

3 to 4 tablespoons pignoli (pine nuts), toasted

Add olive oil to a large, deep sauté pan and cook over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic to the pan and cook until the shallot is translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushing the whole tomatoes with your hands into the sauce. Add the chicken or vegetable stock and fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. Add oil to the water to keep the pasta from sticking. Add the fresh pasta to the water and cook until al dente. Keep in mind that the fresh pasta will take less time than store-bought dried pasta. Once cooked, remove pasta from the heat and strain.

Remove the sauce from the heat. Add the brie cheese cubes to the sauce and stir until the cheese has melted and fully integrated into the sauce. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix until the noodles are fully coated. Divide the pasta among four plates and spoon extra sauce on top of each plate. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and additional fresh basil as needed.

- "Dry" Gwen

PAPPARDELLE WITH BRAISED LAMB RAGU

Serves 4

Putting together these two recipes made me realize how far I've come in the kitchen. From barely knowing how to boil water, I'm now a confident cook, dabbling with a little of this and that, creating my own flavors and memories. Mama Speranza never really followed a recipe, she just cooked what she liked. "If you like it, it comes through in the food," she said. This braised lamb ragu is my own creation. I started out with ingredients I love, and I played around until it tasted good to me. Wouldn't Mama Speranza be proud of me now!

3 tablespoons olive oil

Coarse kosher salt, as needed

1 1-pound lamb shank, bone in

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup dry red wine

1 large tomato, chopped

1 28-ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes

1-2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped plus whole leaves for garnish

Salt and pepper, as needed

1 pound fresh pappardelle pasta (I suggest the Caputo "00" pappardelle from Mama Gizzi Pasta)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Add one tablespoon olive oil to a large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt generously over the lamb shank and add it to the pan. Cook the lamb shank for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until browned on all sides. Remove the lamb from the pan, placing in an oven-safe baking dish (8 x 8 dish should be perfect) with the sides of the dish as high as the lamb shank.

Return the deep sauté pan to medium heat and add one tablespoon olive oil. Add chopped onion, garlic and parsley to the pan and cook until the onion is translucent. Add red wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add fresh tomato and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add half of the can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes in your hands, along with one cup of chicken stock. Cook 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the liquid from the heat and pour into the baking dish over the lamb. Add more chicken stock as needed to cover the lamb in liquid. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 3 to 4 hours, turning the meat occasionally in the dish.

Remove baking dish from the oven. Remove the lamb shank from the dish and reserve the sauce. The lamb meat should be so tender it will fall away from the bone. Remove the meat from the bone and finely chop. Strain the sauce, reserving both the liquid and the solid.

Add one tablespoon olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add one cup of the liquid and all of the solid from the sauce. Add the chopped lamb, tomato paste and chopped fresh basil. Add the remaining half can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Cook 5 to 7 minutes.

At the same time, add a pot of salted water to the stove to cook the pasta. Add oil to the water to keep the pasta from sticking. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Cook until al dente or as desired. Keep in mind that the fresh pappardelle from Mama Gizzi will take much less time to cook than store-bought, dry pasta. For a thin pasta like pappardelle, 2-3 minutes should be enough.

Strain the pasta and divide on four plates. Top with the braised lamb ragu and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

- "Dry" Gwen

BOLD'S MARINATED OLIVES

Once you start marinating olives, you can change the ingredients to experiment and find the few recipes that you really enjoy. This is one I put together.

Serves about 4

2 cartons assorted olives from grocery deli

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large sprigs rosemary

Fresh garlic, smashed, to taste

1 lemon, halved or sliced

Put olives in a medium-sized bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, rosemary leaves, garlic and lemon. Mix it all together, then let it stand at room temperature for an hour or two. At that point, it's done and ready to eat.

If you make it ahead of time by several hours, stick it in the fridge and bring the olives out about an hour before you want to eat them. They'll keep for several days.

- "Bold" Lynn

CUCUMBER, AVOCADO, SCALLION AND LIME SALAD

Serves 6

3 cucumbers

3 ripe Hass avocados

1/4 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts

Juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly cracked peppercorns

Peel cucumbers, slice lengthwise and scoop out seeds, then slice and put in ceramic or glass bowl. Scoop out avocados and put in bowl. Add scallions, lime juice and olive oil. Toss to combine. Add salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from "Mangia," by Ricardo Diaz and Nancy Jessup

- "Bold" Lynn