GARGANAGA

Guerrieri Rizzardi Soave Classico 2006

$24; 12% alcohol; synthetic stopper; 92 points

Garganaga and trebbiano are the grapes; cool Verona is the place; Rizzardi amongst the most tasteful producers. This, his entry-level Classico, should be in every Italian restaurant in town, and quite a few Chinese. It’s savoury as much as fruity: herbs and melon aromas dominate, with honeydew, carambola and cucumber doing slow creamy laps around the glass. There’s a slightly peppery topnote of dried ginger and matchbox, and a very long, gentle finish that’s waxy as much as tannic or acidulous, with a lovely grainy, hazy effect at the end, like the Mediterranean sky in the summer. Cheong food: squid, scallops, octopus, noodles. www.guerrieri-rizzardi.it

Prà Soave Classico 2006

$26; 13% alcohol; cork; 91 points

Garganaga and trebbiano are the grapes; cool Verona is the place; this one of the few nice ones available here. Pity about the cork: they might be able to build Ferraris in this neck of the woods, but Prà’s wine stoppers are still cart donkeys. In spite of the plug, this manages to smell disarmingly of broad beans sizzled in lemon juice, with a dribble of fine smoked bacon stock and a sliver of white truffle. The palate is comforting and soft, with a calming, syrupy texture and the gentle waxy finish typical of this appellation. Baby veal with white wine, lemon and capers. www.negociants.com